The Fall of Time
by Riptide2
Summary: The beginning of the new great prophecy from The Last Olympian. The Lost Hero did not take place.
1. Chapter 1

"It is and was and ever will be,

It's our past present and future

all rolled into one. It waits for

no one and is under no man's

command. It's our hope for

tomorrow and the reality of

yesterday. It can be our best ally

or our worst enemy. It is Time."

Chapter 1:

It all started when my hell hound, Mrs. O'Leary shadow traveled into my backyard. Up until then every thing had been ( or as normal as it can get when you're a half-blood ) my mom and Paul had gotten married and moved to a house on the out skirts of New York, I had survived another year at the same school ( miracle ). So far no more big-end-of-the-world prophecies, so I thought things might settle down for a while and we would get some peace. Boy was I wrong.

"Mrs. O'Leary why are you...oh." I started then stopped when I saw who was on her back, a boy in full Greek battle armor grinning through the face guard of his skull shaped helmet, a Stygian iron sword at his side.

"Hey Percy," Nico said as if this was an every day occurrence.

"Hi Nico, what are you doing here?" I stared at them like they had just appeared out-of-nowhere ( which they had ).

"Come on, Percy. We have to get to Camp, fast." Nico looked worried. Something was definitely wrong.

"Why? What's going on?" After giving me the old sniff over, Mrs. O'Leary let me climb on.

"I think..." Nico started. Thunder sounded in the distance cutting him off.

"Sorry!"

"Let me guess. You can't tell me?"

"Well no. Not exactly." Nico admitted and with that Mrs. O'Leary took off and we shadow traveled to Camp Half-Blood.

When we arrived everything look normal Thalia's pine stood even taller than before with the Golden Fleece glittering on bottom branch, Peleus the "guard" dragon was sleeping next to the tree, campers and satyrs were playing volley ball in the sand pit, the cabins were mostly the same but there were more, about a dozen more then I remembered. Canoes were gliding over the lake and campers were riding pegasus' , everything look normal , yet something was off. Everyone looked tense, like they were waiting for something big to happen.

"So? What's the big deal?" I asked Nico, sliding off Mrs. O'Leary unto the grass of the commons area.

Nico glanced around as if to make sure no one was listening. "i really shouldn't say but something big is supposed to happen in..." he trailed off as a huge clap of thunder broke the quiet.

"Fine!" he yelled at the sky rolling his eyes, "Come on, Percy. Chiron's waiting."

When we got to the Big House everything looked just as normal as everywhere else, except Mr. D and Chiron were no where to be seen.

"Where is everybody?" I asked the unusually quiet Nico.

"Upstairs. In Rachel's room."

"Wait a minute 'Rachel's room'? She has a room?"

"Well where did you think they were going to put her? The attic?" He was trying hard not to laugh. And pretty much failing. With that we started up the stairs to the second floor.

At the top of the stairs we could hear I could hear Mr. D, Chiron, and Rachel talking. Okay more like arguing. Nico turnod to me and put a finger to his lips. Silently we moved to stand in front of a door that Nico mouthed was ' Rachel's room ' .

"We can't tell him! It's not the right time." Mr. D was saying.

"You mean you don't trust him." Chiron was saying bitterly, " besides look how trying to keep Percy's prophecy a secret worked. He still found out!"

I glanced at Nico, confused. "What are they talking about?" I whispered.

"I think it's the..." he stopped as the talking on the other side of the door continued.

"It might not even be about Nico and Perry." Mr. D was saying.

"We shouldn't be listening. Let's get out of here before they catch us." I whispered to Nico. He nodded and we started down the stairs, but we didn't get far before.

"Nico! Percy! Come up here a moment." Chiron's voice stopped us. He was in his magic wheelchair sitting at the top of the stairs. How he got up there is beyond me. We went up and said 'hi' to Rachel.

"Hey guys! How are..." she started then winced like she'd been stabbed when her eyes opened again they were glowing green. "It shall be them. They are the heroes!" the Spirit of Delphi hissed. Then she started to repeat a prophecy that would cost me more then I ever would have thought at the time:

Seven Half-Bloods shall answer the call.

To storm or fire the world must fall,

An oath to keep with a final breath,

and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

At the last word Rachel shook her head looking confused, a What just happened? look on her face. Chiron was watching us with a sad almost pitying expression, but Mr. D was the first to talk.

"Well this is just great! I must go and alert Zeus of this new development." With that he disappeared in a flash of purple light leaving nothing but the sour smell of wine that dispersed quickly in the warm spring-early-summer breeze.

I forced my mind back to reality. "So what happened?"

Chiron looked at me grimly, "There been some trouble on Olympus."


	2. Chapter 2

Of all the thoughts that could have crossed my mind the only thing was, so much for 'uneventful' summer. Snapping back to reality, I turned to Chiron, "What is it this time?"

It wasn't as if this was the first time, my father, Zeus, and Hades were always arguing. "It's more serious than you think," Chiron said giving me a disapproving look, "Come. We can talk about tis downstairs." We walked in silence and sat down outside. I said 'hi' to Rachel again and we turned to Chiron expectantly.

He sighed, "As some of you may have realized," he glanced at Nico, "something is majorly wrong in the Underworld. Lord Hades Keys of Death have been stolen."

"I knew it!" Nico yelled.

"Yes your father thought you may have realized," Chiron continued.

"But what about my father's sword. One of the three keys is molded into the handle?"

"I'm afraid that too has been stolen." Chiron continued, "As you know Nico, your father has been wanting a throne and a vote on the Olympian council. He has Poseidon's support but Zeus is refusing. He fears Poseidon and Hades may join forces and seek to unseat him. Hades has the support of most of the council, but with the theft of his key he is beginning to suspect Zeus and Thalia."

"For the millionth time Chiron, I didn't do it!" yelled the angry voice of the one and ( probably ) only daughter of Zeus.

I turned in surprise, standing on the other side of the railing, her electric blue eyes dangerously bright like she wanted to zap Chiron right off the porch, was Thalia.

"Hey Thalia! I didn't know you were here."

"Oh hi Percy. Hey Nico." she said like she had just noticed we were there and the anger faded quickly from her eyes. Then she turned back to Chiron her eyes flashing, "Why won't you believe me?"

"Would someone tell me the whole story, already?" I asked, impatiently.

"Oh... oh yeah sure." Chiron said breaking off his argument with Thalia. "As you already know the gods have been arguing but that is not the real problem. As I said Hades' Keys of Death have been stolen. When he found out about the theft Hades alerted the other gods even though he believes they have not yet left the Underworld, but just the fact that they are missing is is bad enough, because the holder of these keys has the power not only to close the entrances of the Underworld but also to lock or unlock death itself."

I was shocked. The ability to stop death? That was huge! But Nico looked like Chiron had just confirmed his worst fear.

"So..." I began slowly, "can't he just like get a locksmith?"

Nico was glaring at me but Rachel was cracking up before Nico shot her a shut-up-or-I'll-kill-you-literally look. "Percy this is serious!"

"Yes mother." That really didn't improve his mood. Then he turned to Chiron, "We need a quest this has to be about the prophecy."

Chiron look to Rachel, "Do you think this is about them?"

"Yes Chiron. It makes sense."

"Well then Nico, your quest has been granted. You may pick your six companions at the campfire tonight. Now go off to your activities, I'll see you later." With that he turned and trotted off to archery class.

When he was gone, I turned to Thalia, "So when did you get here?"

"Huh.. oh a couple days ago." she answered absently still staring at Chiron's retreating form.

"Are the rest of the Hunters here?"

"No just me. My father sent me to keep an eye on..." she stopped herself.

"Keep an eye on what?"

"No! Nothing just forget I said anything." she answered quickly looking down.

"Thalia what aren't you telling me?" I demanded. She looked up and started to tell me to forget it again, but I gave a look that I hope said don't-you-lie-to-me.

She sighed, "Alright fine. I can't lie to you guys anyway. My father sent me here to keep an eye on you two."

"What! Why?" I asked shocked. Nico look surprised but also like he was expecting her to say just that. Was I the only one out of the loop here?

"Did your father say why?" Nico asked.

"Well as Chiron said he suspects Hades of partnering with Poseidon to unseat him, but he thinks you two may help them and though he would never admit it you two are pretty powerful."

"Well that Zeus doesn't trust me isn't anything new but sending someone just to watch me hasn't happened before."

"That isn't the end of it," she continued, "I have orders that if I think you to are plotting to unseat him I have to kill both of you immediately."

"What! That's ridiculous!" I yelled.

"I know. That's what I said when he told me."

"Does Chiron know why you're really here?" Nico asked.

"No, my father swore me to secrecy."

I was about to ask Nico about the quest but before I could, "Nico! Chiron wants you at archery practice." Katie Gardener from Demeter yelled as she ran by to the arena. "Be right there!" he turned to us, "See you guys later." and ran off.

I turned to Thalia, "Don't worry about it, everything will turn out alright."

"Yeah sure, Percy." but she didn't sound too sure.

"See you later."

I went off to my cabin to unpack ( not that I'd had time to pack anything so it was just walk in and chase out the spiders ) then headed off to the Athena cabin to look for Annabeth. When I knocked on the door, it was Malcolm her step brother and second-in-command that answered. "Oh hi Percy."

"Um.. hey is Annabeth there?" He glared at me but then his face softened until he just look confused and really worried.

"But... you don't know?"

"Know what?" I asked kind of frantic.

"She went on a quest for Zeus to survey the Underworld but then the Keys went missing and the Doors to the Underworld closed and we haven't heard from her since. Chiron said to consider her dead. We...we burned her shroud three days ago."

I was shocked and devastated but it wasn't a sure thing that she was dead, right? She might be okay? No. She HAD to be okay. Malcolm's voice pulled me back to reality, "I'm sorry Percy. I thought you knew."

"No, no it's okay." I walked toward the beach in a daze. The water was calm with small white caps breaking against the shore. Why had no one told me Annabeth was missing? I could have come look for her. I could have done something.

I was so deep in thought I didn't notice how dark it was until almost silent footsteps shook me back to the present. My hand went to my pocket and I pulled out Riptide, I jumped to my feet uncapping Riptide and spinning to face whoever it was. Before I realized who it was I had my sword point at Chiron's throat.

"Whoa take it easy Percy." he said slowly.

I lowered my sword a little. "Why?" I asked glaring at him.

He still had his bow slung over his back. "I wanted to tell you, Percy. Honestly, I did."

"Then why didn't you!" I yelled still not lowering Riptide.

"I was under oath not to tell you or Nico. Zeus was afraid Annabeth's disappearance was a hoax planned by Hades to be the perfect excuse for you two to leave Camp."

I guess it made sense Zeus always was paranoid. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mother sent me an Iris message. She was a little frantic."

"Oh right." I said remembering I'd left without telling her.

Over at the pavilion the conch horn sounded signaling dinner. We walked over silently and I made my way to the Poseidon table. Threw my grapes in the fire and ate quickly.

With dinner over I caught up to Thalia and we went to the campfire together. When everyone was seated Chiron called for attention, "I have an announcement to make. The prophecy has been ordained." The fire flared purple as he caught everyone's attention.

"Who? Who's it about?"

"Me." Nico said getting up and walking to the front. There were a few gasps and quite a few whispers.

"Quiet!" Chiron called. "Now Nico the prophecy."

He sullenly repeated the dooms day prophecy, "Seven Half-Bloods shall answer the call,

to storm or fire the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

"Well I guess the Doors of Death part makes sense, but are you sure?" Katie Gardener asked.

"Yes. Rachel confirmed it." Chiron continued, "Now Nico who will be your six companions?"

"I definitely need Percy and Thalia." I was glad that Nico included me ( not that I wouldn't have snuck off to find Annabeth anyway ) and Thalia look floored. We moved to stand beside Nico and he continued, " and Malcolm, Clarisse, Connor, and Travis." They too moved to the front beside us.

"Just to make it official does everyone accept?" Chiron asked. We all nodded. "Well then. Let's start our campfire." We sat down and sang a bunch of goofy old songs and then everyone went off to their cabins.

Down at my own cabin I put Riptide on the table and went to bed. The dream started almost immediately.

...

_Annabeth was running through the Fields of Asphodel, her Yankees cap on her head which was weird she should have been invisible. I was running right beside her, behind us I could hear hissing and the flap of leathery wings. We reached the Gates of Hades palace and ducked inside. "Oh why did I come alone?" Annabeth whispered sinking to the ground. Suddenly a fury landed a few feet away, Annabeth stifled a gasp and struggled to her feet, she stumbled behind the white skeleton of a birch tree. The fury screeched and walked over to the tree. It flicked it's fiery whip behind the tree we were hiding behind. Annabeth ducked but it still knocked the cap off her head. She tried to grab it back but the fury grabbed her arm and dragged her off to Hades palace. I woke screaming sure the the fury was about to bring her fiery whip down on Annabeth._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I glanced around sure I was still in the Underworld, the early dawn light was streaming through the window of my cabin. I grabbed Riptide and my backpack and was just stepping out the door when the conch horn sounded.

I made my way to the pavilion and sat at the Poseidon table. The nymphs served you breakfast of cereal and toast, then we went to the brazier to make our offerings. I threw some cereal in and whispered, " Hope you like fruit loops, Dad."

When breakfast was over everyone went to Half-Blood Hill to see us off, Argus would drive us as far as central park, but then we were on our own.

I guess Thalia noticed how quiet I'd been on the ride in because she dropped back from where she'd been walking up front with Nico on our way to the Door of Orpheus.

"Okay, spill!" she ordered stepping in front of me.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" I knew what she was talking about of course, I was just hoping I was wrong I couldn't go through the details of my dream again. But it was just a dream, wasn't it? I mean none of it really happened, right? Annabeth was still okay. Maybe?

"You know what I'm talking about!" her annoyed yell ripped me from my thoughts.

"Thalia, I don't..." I began but her glare stopped me, "Oh fine." I continued looking down as I told her my dream and what Chiron had said. "She might even be..." I trailed off as I finished. No I couldn't say it. She couldn't be dead. She just couldn't be.

"Well I guess there's only one way to find out." she said grabbing my arm and dragging me after her in the direction of the Door of Orpheus. When we finally caught up to the others, she grabbed Nico too and drabbed both of us off behind a tree.

"Thalia! Let me go!" Nico complained.

"Fine but you have to hear something." she elbowed me.

"Is Annabeth really...?" she asked after I told him my dream but she too couldn't seem to finish that thought. He closed his eyes for a moment then turned to me.

"No, she almost died but she is still alive."

"Well that's a relief but how did she get away? I mean furies don't usually let heroes live." Thalia asked.

"Yeah well that's the bad part of what I saw. She's being held captive by my father."

"What! Why?" I yelled.

"He found out she was a spy for Zeus, probably. I didn't see why, I just saw her in the dungeon."

"Well then let's get moving. We have to find her." I said a new sense of determination filing me. There was no way I was going to let her die in the Underworld.

I turned and stomped off to the others. Thalia said something to Nico, he nodded, and then followed.

After about ten more minutes of walking, we arrived but we weren't alone. Standing in front of the boulders was the biggest Laistrygonian giant I'd ever seen.

"It's about time, Perseus Jackson." It growled down at me. I froze how had this thing known we were coming? It couldn't have followed us we were looking for that the entire way.

"Percy! Come on." Thalia yelled pulling her spear. I uncapped Riptide and charged. The giant pulled his sword but instead of attacking he looked down at me and said, "I have not come here to kill you Jackson. The others I must destroy but the Keeper wishes you alive, you must submit to me!"

"Oh yeah that'll happen." ( Please note high use of sarcasm here ).

"Well then today shall be the day you join the host of the Underworld!" he yelled swinging his sword down at me, but I wasn't there. I ducked and rolled coming up behind him.

"Do you seriously know how many times I've heard that?" I asked stabbing him in the back of the leg.

He growled in pain and ducked a blast of lightening from Thalia. Malcolm had pulled his sword and was trying to get behind while Thalia attacked from the front, but the giant saw him and swung his shield around hitting Malcolm and sending him flying past Thalia. She turned to run to him but with her back turned the giant spun around to attack her.

"Thalia, look out!" I screamed throwing Riptide like a javelin, but it bounced harmlessly off his shield. She whirled around but it was too late the flat of his sword hit her head then cut her arm leaving a long bloody gash. She fell to the ground blood trickling from her mouth.

Anger washed through me. Nobody and I mean no body hurts my friends like that and get away with it. This giant was going down. I yelled and a wave of force ripped through the ground knocking the Laistrygonian down, before he could get up again I uncapped Riptide and stabbed it into the ground. A crack opened up running through the ground from Riptide to the giant. With a yell of surprise, he fell into the chasm I had created. Then with another wave of my hand, as I pulled out Riptide, another earthquake closed the chasm.

"Percy, how did you do that?" Nico yelled as he came back from helping Malcolm up.

"Yeah that was awesome." Malcolm added leaning on Nico for support.

"I'll tell you later. Someone get the Necter from my backpack!" I yelled running over to Thalia. She was lying on her back, a pool of blood by her head, her breath was shallow, but at least she was alive. Barely.

I looked around desperately for water, what i was going to try wouldn't work if I couldn't find it, but even if I did I wasn't entirely sure it would work anyway but I have to try, Necter alone wasn't going to save her.

I could sense water nearby but where? Calm down, I told myself, think. Then I got an idea, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the water, telling it to come to me. I felt that familiar tug at my gut and a wall of water broke through the trees to my right, a huge swirling funnel cloud.

"Percy, what are you doing? Come on!" Nico yelled coming from getting the Necter from pack from where I'd dropped it in the fight.

I ran over to Thalia pulling the water around me as I ran, Nico was already there trying to get her to drink the Necter.

"Wait Nico. I'm going to try something." I said dropping to my knees beside her. I pulled a wave from the funnel around me and willed half to cover the gash on her arm and the rest the one on her head.

"Percy are you crazy?" Nico looked at me incredulously.

"Probably." I admitted then closed my eyes concentrating on the power of the water around me. I still wasn't sure if this would work or even if I had enough power to do this, my earthquake powers had already drained a lot of my energy, but I forced those thoughts from my mind remembering that if this didn't work Thalia would probably be dead.

I concentrated on channeling the waters power to her wounds, imagining them healing and closing up. The pull at my gut was really starting to get painful now but I couldn't stop until this worked.

"Be careful, Percy." I heard Nico mutter distantly.

Suddenly there was another almost unbearable tug at my gut and I fell to the ground exhausted.

"Percy stop it! Are you okay?" I tried to focus on Nico leaning over me.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine, I think." I answered getting up and letting my control on the water go.

"What in the Underworld were you doing? Your life aura faded completely."

"I...Oh gods. Thalia!" Everything came flooding back in a rush.

Nico looked grim, "I'm sorry, Percy. She's gone."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

No! No it couldn't be. She couldn't be dead. My head was spinning but I tried to look confident, "Just give it a minute, Nico." He gave me a disbelieving look.

"Fine, but you'd better explain."

"Alright, well for the earthquakes, they don't call my father the earth shaker for nothing, but as for what I was trying to do with Thalia it's a bit more complicated. I can use the water's power to heal minor wounds and though it takes a lot of energy I usually would be able to heal more serious injuries."

"But...since when? I mean I've never seen you use any of those powers before?" Malcolm asked looking confused.

"Well the first time I used powers I hadn't known about before was in the war. Remember when we were fighting Hyperion and I created a 'miniature' hurricane?" he nodded and I kept going, "I didn't give it much thought at the time but compared to my usual powers I shouldn't have been able to do that. Then after that, a few months ago, I got in an argument with this guy at school and caused an earthquake that almost brought down the gym. Thank heavens they couldn't prove I'd caused it. Anyway, I iris messaged Annabeth and it turns out Nico, it's because of your plan to beat Luke. The whole River Styx thing worked better then we thought it would. I guess with children of the Big Three it not only makes you invulnerable but enhances your regular powers."

"Well I guess that makes sense. I had no idea." Nico still looked a little confused.

"That's what..." I stopped as I felt a tug at my gut, suddenly I felt all my energy draining. I would have ended up face first in the dirt but Nico caught me.

"Percy? Percy! Oh gods are you okay?"

"Th.. Thalia!" I gasped.

"Percy she's..." he stopped as a gagging cough came from behind him.

They turned around and froze. Thalia was lying on her back coughing up the water I had used to heal her. I fought to stay conscious. My head was spinning, I could barely make out the other's dark forms. I moved my hand to a puddle of water beside me. My head cleared a little and I staggered to my feet. I held my hand out willing the water around Thalia away.

She gave one more cough and turned to me. "Thanks Percy." She choked out still gasping for air.

Nico rushed over to her, "Thalia what happened? Are you okay?" She nodded.

"Nico I hate to say it but I told you so." He just ignored me. "What happened? I mean you were...dead."

"I... I'm not sure, all I remember is Percy yelling for me to look out, then everything went dark, there was nothing for a while. Then it was the strangest thing, I felt like I was underwater but I could breathe normally. Then it went dark again and the next thing I know I'm here."

"That would be me." I said helping her up. The look she gave me clearly questioned my sanity. "I used some water to heal you well you were out."

"But... you don't have healing powers."

I pretended to be offended, "Oh how could you? How could you be so cruel?" Okay now her glare had some serious wattage. "Everybody's a critic."

"You know what this means though right? You know about the prophecy?" She asked looking worried after I explained.

"No, what prophecy?" Yeah my history with prophecies, predictions, and anything like that definitely wasn't good.

"Oh this is so not good. It's not so much of a prophecy more of a warning." then she closed her eyes and began to recite:

" _Half-Blood of the eldest gods shall take upon a curse,_

_but before long a curse it shall become._

_For in the land of the dead he shall join their host._

_That through his death, all s not lost, _

_a curse meant to save many, shall haunt on to death."_

How had I not known about this? Everything made sense, I was a child of the eldest gods, and I bore a curse, the Curse of Achilles. Here we were at the entrance of the Underworld and I was supposed to die.

"It might not be about you."

"Nico, face it. What else could the last line mean? I took the Curse of Achilles because it was the only way to stop Luke in the war. A curse meant to save many."

"Percy maybe you should go back to Camp. If you're supposed to get killed maybe you shouldn't go."

"No. Annabeth's down there and we **are** going to save her. If I'm supposed to die I will. It won't matter if I go or not."

"Well alright, I guess. It's your choice. It's getting late we should set up camp here."

Thalia pulled a folded up tent out of her pack and climbed in but the rest of us were left outside. We just chilled and gabbed for a while until Thalia came out and screamed at Connor and Travis, who were in an argument over which was better. Salami or bologna. Don't ask how that got started. You don't want to know.

When they finally shut up, with a little help. Hey there really are a million and one uses for duck tape. Anyway I laid down using my pack as a pillow. The dream started once I was asleep.

...

_I was in my father's underwater palace, he was sitting on his throne drumming his fingers like he was waiting for someone, then he turned to me._

"_Percy I'm sending you this dream as a warning. Watch out for Thalia. She might not be on your side. I have no proof, but something isn't right. As hard as it is to imagine she may be a spy for the true thief. I have to go and I don't think I can risk helping you again, but remember what I said. Watch out for Thalia."_

_..._

I woke with a start. How could Thalia be a spy? With all that she'd done and been through? It was hard to believe but my father wouldn't have contacted me for no reason.

I was about to go back to sleep and forget about the whole thing, but footsteps going past Thalia's tent jarred me awake.

She was standing by the edge of camp, glancing around as if to make sure no one was still up. Then she turned and headed off into the trees. I followed hiding behind a boulder. She was making a rainbow with a lantern and a sprinkler.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow accept my offering." she muttered throwing a drachma into the mist. The water shimmered, "Show me the Keeper."

Who was this keeper? This was the second time today he'd shown up. The water shimmered again but instead of showing a person it turned pitch black.

"I warned you not to send that giant. All it did was put them on guard." Thalia said glaring at the darkness.

"Silence! That giant was not meant to defeat them. I only wanted to see how strong Jackson and the others really were." The voice come straight out of the darkness, it sounded like something old, ancient really, and powerful, but that wasn't the worst part. The shadows around me seem to thicken when the whatever it was spoke, it was like standing on the dark side of the moon. It was literally emanating darkness.

"You should have known. Jackson bears the Curse of Achilles. He is stronger then you think." Thalia continued.

"Just don't fail me or the consequences will be severe!" The thing in the darkness growled.

"I know my role."

"That is good. Just make sure you do not fail me."

With that the Iris message cut out and Thalia stomped back to camp. I waited a few minutes then followed, Thalia was already in her tent so I laid down and pretended to be asleep.

It looked like my father was right. Thalia really was a spy. How could she have turned on us like that? It was almost impossible to believe but the evidence spoke for itself. I'd just **seen** her talking to the same person, thing, whatever that was, that had sent the giant after us. After me. And what did this 'Keeper' want with me. Without knowing his real name because it obviously wasn't actually The Keeper. I mean seriously who has a name like that. Okay yeah I'm ranting. Stupid ADHD. But without knowing his real name there was no way we could figure out who he really is. He should know by know that there was no way I would ever join the Titans. But what if he wasn't a Titan?

I was going around in circles. Every answer just brought more questions. And it seemed like the only one who could answer these questions was this keeper dude.

I must have past out around dawn, because the next thing I knew Nico was shaking me awake. Well really he was stabbing my shoulder but there wasn't a whole lot of difference. We ate a breakfast of energy bars and fruit, then went over to the Door of Orpheus.

"So how are we going to get in?" I'd been looking for a chance to talk to Nico all morning about Thalia but she'd been following me like a hawk. Either she knew I'd watched her last night or she was really taking Zeus' whole "keep an eye on them" thing to heart. Either way it was beyond annoying.

"Well can we just get some music and open it or what?" He still hadn't answered and was walking around the pile of boulders muttering to himself.

"No you ever took the Keys locked the this door and probably the one in LA too."

"But we can still get in right? I mean can't you just shadow travel in?"

"No I can't. Besides even if I could I couldn't take everyone, but there might be another way."

"Okay ...how?" I hesitated, something told me I wasn't going to like his 'other way'.

"Well it's never been done before, but there is a saying about when these doors close."

"So? Spit it out already!"

He took a deep breath and began to recite: _In the day these doors close, three must unite._

_Combined they prevail, but one power alone is never enough._

_The foe's will try to turn one against the others,_

_but in order to succeed three must reign supreme._

Thalia turned pale at the last part, but I nodded, "So we're the three."

Nico nodded, "Yeah that's what I figured, it can't be a coincidence that we were all at Camp at the same time."

"But what does the third line mean. ' combined they prevail, but one power alone is never enough '?" Thalia still looked nervous.

"I think it means we have to combine our powers, but it's dangerous, like I said before. It's never been done before, and if it goes wrong well..."

"Well what?" Yeah I was right I didn't like the idea, but if it was the only way...

Nico looked kind of sheepish, "If it goes wrong we'll probably lose our powers and kill everyone in a ten mile radius."

Oh joy. But I couldn't help teasing him just a little, "Well I guess that would be your powers, because mine would probably just turn them into a patch of kelp."

He rolled his eyes, "Gee thanks Percy. Just thanks."

"Any time."

"So...how do we do this?" asked a not very amused Nico.

"Hey don't look at me this was your idea."

"I think I do. Something Artemis said..." spoke up Thalia.

After she explained, we stood in a semicircle around the Door of Orpheus. Nico on my left and Thalia to the right. I don't have a clue why she was helping us she really was a spy. Not that I'm complaining since we apparently needed her. Anyway I uncapped Riptide, holding it in front of me. Thalia pulled her spear and Nico his sword, we touched the tips of our weapons together.

I concentrated on channeling the oceans power through me and into Riptide. There was a tug at my gut and suddenly I could feel the others' powers too. Thalia's like a thousand volts of electricity runnong through me, but Nico was definitely the scariest ( though I'd never admit it ). It was like this overwhelming sense of utter terror. It was literally the scariest thing I'd ever felt. I just wanted to curl up and go hide somewhere. Though that was yet another thing I'd never admit.

I had to stay focused though and I forced the terror off to one side. We stayed like that for a moment longer, then a rumble went through the boulders.

"Now, Percy!" Thalia shouted.

I stabbed Riptide into the ground using the their powers to amplify my earthquake. Unleashing my full power over earthquakes was risky because I didn't have full yet and there was always a chance I wouldn't be able to stop it but according to Thalia it was the only way.

I held my hand out, palm toward the boulders, and an earthquake big enough it would probably be on the news later ripped through the ground. It split some of the boulders and knocked the others down but went around me so I was standing on the only piece of solid ground.

With a groan the Door opened, splitting in the middle. I stopped the earthquake. Barely. And ran over to Nico.

"Come on. It won't stay open for long!"

"Let's go!" He yelled at the we ran for the Door.

I jumped through and pulled Clarisse in by the arm as the stones slammed shut behind us.

We were trapped in the Underworld.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Hi I saw that I got a review that it was a little choppy. Thank you for reviewing and for your honesty. I am working on that. But the fact that I have several different ideas floating around is supposed to be like that. All the ideas will be answered by the end and if not by then, I will be writing a sequel. Which I'm working on now and will try to answer the remaining ideas there. On a slightly different topic I plan on making this into a longer series with 6 books definitely and possibly a 7th. Please review and leave any idea or constructive criticism. Thank you, Riptide2

...

Chapter 5

We stopped to catch our breath and then started the long climb down to the Underworld. I was still trying to catch Nico and Thalia was still watching us like a hawk.

When we finally got down there it was all relatively normal, the black sand beach covered in human bones stretched to the polluted waters of the River Styx. I'd been here three times before but it still wasn't a pretty sight. We made the trek to the gates to the Fields of Asphodel and what we saw there surprised me more then anything yet.

I mean 'empty' isn't usually the word that describes Hades' kingdom but it did now. Usually even the Ez Death lines were jam packed but now there wasn't a soul in sight. Even the security ghouls were gone and Cerberus was curled in a ball fast asleep. Each of his heads sending up little smoke rings as he snored. We snuck past him silently and through the gate into the Fields of Asphodel.

They looked mostly the same but something was different. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. We were about half-way and I could see the gates of Hades' palace in the distance when it hit me. Where was everyone? Only about half of the population of Asphodel was actually here.

_The holder of these Keys has the power not only to lock the entrances of the Underworld but also to lock and unlock death itself. _I remembered Chiron saying but would unlocking death remove someone from the Underworld?

"What happened? Where is everyone?" I asked catching up to Nico.

"I'm not sure but the only thing I can think of isn't good." He stomped ahead.

"Great talking with you, too."

By the time we reached Hades' palace it was probably about midnight in the world above us. Once again we set up our little make shift camp, ate the rest of our food from Camp, and hit the sack. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the ground and we dream started immediately.

...

_Just like the Iris message everything went pitch black, "Why haven't you brought me Jackson yet?" I recognized the voice of the Keeper._

"_It wasn't safe. He's beginning to suspect." The voice could only be Thalia's._

"_You had better bring him soon. The process must be completed before the next full moon."_

"_But how are you going to convince Jackson to be the host? He'll never help you willingly."_

"_A trick worthy of the Crooked One himself. But that is none of your concern. Just make sure...wait.. we are not alone." The Keeper's full attention turned on me and shadows colder then the dark side of the moon seemed to rise around me._

"_What! He's here?" Thalia asked alarmed, but the Keeper ignored her. "So you wish to dream of your friend, Son of the Sea God? Then I shall oblige." _

_The scene shifted and now I was in a cell in Hades' dungeon. Annabeth was sitting in the corner crying softly to herself, but she ran over and threw her arms around me when she saw me._

"_Oh Percy. I knew you would come!" _

_This had to be the strangest dream yet. I could walk around and talk like I was really there. "Are you alright?" I asked concerned._

"_Well yeah. For now." She answered bitting her lip._

"_Annabeth what is it? What's..." but she cut me off._

"_Percy, listen. I don't have much time, but this more serious than you think. If this Keeper succeeds with his plans it will probably mean the end of the Fifth Age. You have to promise me you'll end this and you might be the only one who can." she pleaded._

"_Annabeth you know I will."_

"_Just promise Percy." _

"_Alright I promise." I said, I wasn't sure why this was so important to her, but she should know I'd do anything for her._

"_What's the matter? Why don't..." I started but stopped as two skeleton guards walked in right through the wall. I reached for Riptide but it wasn't in my pocket._

_The skeletons walked over and grabbed Annabeth, completely ignoring me. It was like Annabeth was the only one to see me._

_I followed them right into Hades' Throne Room, he was sitting there the Helm of Darkness on his head, but Persephone was no where to be seen. The guards dragged Annabeth in and chained her to the floor in front of him._

"_I'll ask you one more time. Why did Zeus send you?" his voice was deathly calm._

"_Lord Hades as I told you. Zeus didn't send me, I came to help recover your Keys of Death." She was lying through her teeth and he knew it._

"_Lies! Now tell me the truth, you despicable daughter of Athena."_

"_But my Lord, I am." she argued._

"_This is your last chance. Now tell me the truth!" he roared, his palm filling with black fire._

_Annabeth looked like she had when she'd faced off with the Sphinx almost three years before. Like even though she was in some serious trouble she was not going to take the easy way out._

"_Lord Hades I am telling you the truth. I..." She started but he cut her off._

"_How dare you lie to me! For this today shall be the day of your death." He stood up pulling a sword I hadn't noticed until now._

_Annabeth just stood there a defiant look in her stormy gray eyes as a bolt of black energy shot from the tip of his sword, hitting her in the chest. _

_I wanted to scream or run to her but I couldn't move._

_Annabeth screamed and I woke knowing that as long as I lived, ( which according to the prophecy, wouldn't be long ) I'd never get that scream out of my head._

_..._

Nico was standing over me looking worried and half asleep. "Percy are you okay? You were yelling in your sleep."

I wanted to curl up and die or just be able to feel anything, but a part of me had died with her. The only thing left was rage and a strange determination. Determination that I'd avenge her death. And I would.

I hunted my pockets for Riptide, ignoring Nico and the fact that in the dream Riptide had been missing.

I stormed away from our camp and through the corridors of Hades' palace. Cutting down skeleton left and right who tried to stop me. Finally I came to a pair of double doors and burst through. Hades looked up in surprise as I stormed in.

"How dare you kill her!" I screamed rage making me more than a little crazy.

He just shrugged.

"What did she ever do to you?" I advanced on him.

"You would do well to treat a god with more respect." He shrank to human size in front of me.

"Oh really? I don't see any gods around here. All I see is a pile of scum." My eyes were blazing and he pulled his sword gripping the hilt so hard his knuckles turned white. Oh sorry whiter than usual. It was the same sword in his hand as in my dream. The same one that had killed her. It was huge and bronze with a ruby in the handle.

"Do you wish to test me, young one?" He growled. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nico run in with the others.

"Percy what are you doing?" Nico asked incredulously looking from me to Hades.

"Are you sure you're not to chicken to fight me?" I taunted him ignoring Nico.

"You dare challenge me? I've been fighting for all eternity."

"That's what I've been saying." I faked a yawn.

I"m pretty sure the look on his face would scare a t-rex and he waved his hand to my right.

The ground rumbled and skeletal hands grasped the air. I pointed Riptide at the crack and the rumbling stopped then reversed and closed the chasm.

Hades looked at me shocked and I rolled my eyes, "Oh save it." He swung down at me and I met his strike with Riptide.

"Father! Percy what are you doing?" Nico was trying to get between us.

"Taking the diplomatic route. What does it look like?" I growled and our swords met again.

I shoved Nico out of the way and swung at Hades' head, he blocked but that was exactly what I'd expected. I locked Riptide over his sword and pushed down, twisting his sword out of his hand. It clattered against the black marble and Hades held his hand out filling it with black fire.

I rolled my eyes again, "Don't bother. It won't work."

"Begging won't save you though I might find it amusing." He gloated.

"Oh yeah. That'll happen." I said swinging Riptide.

He ducked and sent a stream of fire at me. I deflected it off Riptide and it hit an armor rack in the corner, liquefying it.

"Percy are you crazy? Stop it!" Nico yelled then gasped, "Father, no!"

I'd turned toward Nico but with my back turned he'd sent another blast of fire at me. I spun around and before I could deflect it hit me in the chest pushing me back a step. But it only felt warm at first.

Then a pale blue light appeared pulsing around me. The black fire disappeared and when I looked down at my clothes they weren't even scorched.

"I clearly said don't bother. Did I not?" I turned on Hades. He tried to get to his sword, but I stabbed him in the side. He roared and the cavern roof above me shook.

I spun him around and pinned him to the floor with Riptide at his throat.

"Don't let me see your face again." Then I turned and stalked out.

I was just at the door when, "For this you shall feel the curse of Hades. One day you shall raise your sword in battle but when you need it the most, it shall be the cause of your death." He vowed looking murderous.

"Too late. I'm already cursed."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I yelled in rage and frustration. I'd never felt so dang helpless and I hated it. Every time someone left Camp they knew they might not make it back. We all realized that. But I never would have dreamed it'd be Annabeth. She was strong and I pitied any monster that tried to tell her other wise. She was a force to reckoned with when she was angry and enough to send half the Camp running. Especially me.

Yet she was the one that died. If anything she should have been the one the here. I'd switch spots with her in a heart beat. She didn't deserve to die.

I yelled again and kicked one of Hades' decorative trees. What was so decorative about a dead tree, I'd never know. The stump cracked in half and landed on the tree beside. Oh curse my invulnerability.

"Persephone's gonna kill you for that." Nico chuckled behind me, "Mind doing another?"

I just rolled my eyes, "What do you want Nico?"

His tone turned serious, "Are you out of your mind?"

"No and I don't have a death wish."

"Well then what the heck were you doing back there? Do you really need to give my father another reason to kill you?"

"Oh give it up Nico! Don't try to tell me you wouldn't have done the same."

He sighed in defeat, "You really do have a knack for ticking off the gods. Don't you?"

I gave him a half-hearted smirk, "It's a gift."

He rolled his eyes, "Now that's debatable."

...

Wow I hate awkward silences. Nico shuffled his feet then just gave up and walked away. I watched him walk back to the palace and go inside.

I glanced down at the fallen tree and a piece of blue fabric stuck under the trunk caught my eye. I rolled in off to the side and had to choked back a sob.

Lying in the mud next to a small pool of blood was Annabeth's magic Yankee's cap.

A fresh wave of loss and hatred toward Hades rolled over me and on an impulse I picked it up shook off the dust and slipped it on.

Invisibly I walked toward to doors of Hades' palace where the others were arguing.

"We have to keep going. Annabeth would want it that way." Malcolm was saying.

"Yeah I guess we do, but I'm worried about Kelp Face." Thalia looked like she was trying to put on a brave face but her eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"Prissy? Why would you be worried about him?" Clarisse growled.

"Are we in the same world here, Clarisse? This is Annabeth we're talking about." Travis twirled a finger by his head then pointed at her.

Clarisse looked down right murderous, "Why you little punk! I ought a' ..."

"Wow wow wow! Take it easy. I'm too young to die!" he yelped hiding behind Thalia.

Clarisse glared at him, "You're lucky we're on a quest or I'd turn you into a pulp and paste you all over the ground."

Wow, I thought sarcastically, we're such a close knit group! I think I'll call a group hug. Not.

Thalia shoved him out from behind her like he was the plague, "But seriously, I'm worried about him..."

I didn't like eavesdropping and Nico wasn't with the group, so I snuck through the doors and down to Hades' throne room. The doors there were standing open so I slipped in unnoticed.

Nico was pacing and Hades was on his throne steaming. Then Nico stopped dead and pointed an accusing finger at his dad, "That's what you did? Why would take it?"

"To be even more powerful, of course. Something you will never understand."

"But why kill Chase? What would you profit from that?"

Hades' shrugged, "She was lying. She was a spy for Zeus."

"You got what you wanted. So why risk war?"

Hades rose to his feet, "I do not answer to you! I'm a god. I will not put up with this. Especially from you, my own son."

"That's one thing you've never treated me like!" Nico stormed out and the doors started to swing shut behind him. I slipped through as Hades yelled curses behind me.

I had to jog to catch up to Nico and touched his shoulder. He swung around, sword in hand and almost whacked me in the head with it.

"Hey watch it!" I grabbed the end of it twisting his sword out of his hand.

"Who's there?" He asked warily.

Oops. Forgot I was invisible.

I reached up and slid the cap off holding his sword in the hand, "Take it easy. It's just me."

He glared at me and grabbed his sword, "Gods Percy. You scared me."

"Sorry."

"Where'd you get that?" He pointed at Annabeth's cap in my hand.

I tried to keep my voice level, "Found it."

"Oh."

"So what was that all about?"

"You were there?" I just shrugged.

"It's just.. you know... my father's not exactly dad-of-the-year material."

I snorted, "You can say that again."

"No kidding."

"We'd better get back to the others." I slipped Annabeth's cap on.

Nico rolled his eyes, "Do you have to do that?"

"Yeah."

"Great. Just great."

I followed Nico outside slipping through as the doors slammed shut behind me. The others were still talking. Oh sorry. Arguing. Except now Travis had a black eye and was glaring at Clarisse from behind Connor.

"So what's our next move?" Nico asked walking over.

"Go find Kelp Face, first." Thalia said. Nico just sighed.

I moved invisibly to stand right in front of Thalia. "Looking for me?" I slipped Annabeth's cap off at the same time.

She screamed and blast of lightening went an inch above my head. Okay that was up there on my list of bad ideas. Talk about hearing damage.

"Gods Thalia, if I knew you screamed that loud I wouldn't have scared you."

"Then why did you?" Her glare had some serious wattage. We almost fell over laughing.

"Let's get moving." Nico said the first to stop laughing our guts out.

"Where to?" I asked wheezing.

"We'll set up camp by the Lethe for the night."

...

We set out right away but the time we got there and set up it was getting pretty late. We started a campfire and sat down. Nico, Clarisse, and Malcolm to my right and Thalia, Connor, and Travis on the other side of the fire.

"We need to figure out what our next move should be." Nico started.

"Well someone around here must know something. I say we go around and beat the truth out of them." Clarisse spoke up. Leave it to a child of Ares to come up with beating people to a pulp.

"Um...no." Travis said before Clarisse glared him into silence.

"Well what about what that giant said about you having to submit to him and that he wasn't supposed to kill you Percy?" Thalia asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing you should know after since you're working for the Keeper."

"I don't know what..." she began.

"Oh save it! I know all about you being a spy." I stood up pulling Riptide out of my pocket.

"Alright I admit I'm a spy for the Keeper," she looked up defiantly, "but I am not on his side."

"What! How could you turn on us?" Travis asked gripping his sword hilt so hard his knuckles turned white.

"I didn't! Look just let me explain."

"This had better be good."

"My father sent me a month ago, when the Keys first went missing, to infiltrate his group and find out what he was up to. I was never on his side."

"But who is this Keeper? And how did Zeus find out about him, I mean the whole reason we're on this quest is to find the Keys." Malcolm said looking confused.

"I'm not sure how they found out but the gods have known about the Keeper from the start. They sent us because one, Chiron didn't know and two, the prophecy. They didn't want to mess with the Fates."

"All the gods except my father." Nico said bitterly.

"They sent us because they suspect the Keeper has a bigger plan. Which he does." she glanced at Nico sympathetically. Then, "I don't know his whole plan but what I do know isn't good. He plans on raising Kronos." she explained grimly.

"What! How?" I was shocked.

"With the Keys remember that with them he can reverse Kronos downfall. Luke will still be dead but Kronos will be very much alive."

Okay this was like my worst nightmare come true. If Kronos came back without Luke or any host body for that matter, there would be no stopping him. But one question still bugged me.

"What does the Keeper want with me?"

She sighed a looked at me like she was already picking out which flowers I'd like best on my coffin. "Think about it Percy. The Keeper plans on raising Kronos but Luke will still be dead. What's he missing?"

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks, "A host body." and I was the only one who could. I was the only one with the Curse of Achilles. If he did get a hold of me, I was as good as dead.

_For in the Land of the Dead he shall join their host._ _An oath to keep with a final breath. _The voice of the Oracle whispered in my mind.

"Yeah I get it." They were watching with concerned, worried and maybe even a little fearful expressions.

"But the better question is how do we stop him?" I tried to look confident. I couldn't afford to show just how freaked out I really was.

"We could steal the Keys back." Connor suggested.

"Not bad. One problem though, we don't know where the Keys are." Malcolm said. Talk about stating the obvious.

"That's where I come in. The Keeper has a hideout about a mile from here in that direction." Thalia said pointing to the other side of the Lethe. I could faintly make out the outline of a cliff in the distance.

"So we storm his fort, find the Keys, and kick some Underworld butt." I was liking this plan more and more. Besides it might take my mind off Annabeth. No I couldn't think about her now. I had to stay focused on this quest.

"Wait a minute. Who are we up against exactly? I mean who is this Keeper really?" Malcolm asked. Leave it to child of Athena to ruin a perfectly good plan.

"I'm not sure but I did hear someone call him Tartarus."

Huh? Like the pit? But Nico gasped.

"Bad?" I guessed.

"Oh yeah. In the days before the gods, before my father became the lord of the Underworld. Tartarus was the lord of death. The pit where Kronos was imprisoned is named after him and he has power over raising people from it and entering. As well as the same powers as my father. He's now my father's lieutenant."

"Oh lovely." Travis said sarcastically.

"But if he's your father's lieutenant, why would he steal the Keys? Why try to raise Kronos?" Clarisse asked.

"Well even though he isn't a Titan, my father suspected him of helping Kronos rise the first time and he never really was happy about only being the lieutenant. He is the type that would try to overthrow the gods." Nico explained.

"So we're going to need a plan. Attacking directly won't work." Malcolm decided.

"What if some of us held his attention well the rest went in and grabbed the Keys?" Thalia suggested.

"Not bad."

"Ok how 'bout this. Thalia, Connor, and Travis, you guys can sneak in and find the Keys, well the rest of us keep him busy." I suggested.

"No, he's paranoid. We'd never get in." Thalia shook her head.

"Ok how then?"

"Well he's expecting me to bring you to his cave, so that could be our cover. I'll pretend to have captured you and at the same time you guys follow but stay hidden. When we get to the cave everyone else can keep him distracted while Percy and I go in and get the Keys."

I still wasn't sure about Thalia. I guess I should trust her after all we've been through but I couldn't help think about Silena. I never would have thought she was a spy either.

"Alright if it's the only way." It looked like it was, so I guess I would have to trust Thalia.

Anyway they kept talking for another hour and I pretty much tuned them out. If I had to keep listening to Malcolm's plan I was sure my brain would melt from utter bordem. If there was a way to torture me this had to be it. I mean come on. You'd go nuts to if you had to listen to Malcolm's rant about load bearing joints and the best escape route to use after we got the Keys and yada yada yada.

"Percy! Earth to planet Percy."

"Huh? Wha..." Thalia waving her hand in front my face, with the other trying to keep a straight face behind her.

"I said, what was that light when you were fighting Hades?" She asked trying ( unsuccessfully ) to hide her smirk.

"It was the Curse of Achilles. Basically the gods can't just blast me, because my life's in the hands of the Fates."

"Ok... um let's just hit the sack." but she was still giving me this odd look. Like there was something else she wanted to say.

I was to zonked out to care really, so we just put out the fire and climbed into our sleeping bags. I tried to stay awake to avoid the nightmares but it was definitely a losing battle and when I finally past this dream was dozie even by my standards.

...

_Everything went black but instead of the voice of the Keeper, it shifted to a scene I recognized with a shudder. A fruit stand by the side of an empty highway with three ghoulish old grannies sitting behind it. The Fates._

_They were staring right at me and the middle held up a pale blue string, then the one on the right pulled out a huge pair of ornate scissors and cut the string. The sound echoed across four lines of empty ash fault._

_Then the one on the left turned to me and in an ancient voice said, "It has been decided."_

_The scene shifted again and now I saw me and Annabeth in full battle armor with weapons drawn circling each other. We charged together and just as our weapons met the two figures froze. _

_Now I was standing off to the side as a voice came out of the darkness. The voice of the Spirit of Delphi._

_It said something in Greek and I woke with a start because I knew what that meant._

_In English it was, "Before this is done, one shall kill the other."_

_..._


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Hey I'd just like to say a quick Thank you to InzaderZamG.a.r for your reviews. I really appreciate your honest opinion.

Chapter 7

My dream couldn't have been real. Could it? I mean Annabeth was... gone. I'd watched her die. But there was something about that dream I just couldn't shake.

Something told me it was around dawn even though there's no real difference down here. I glanced around at the others, most of them were still asleep but Nico was muttering something with one hand on his sword. I walked over and was about to wake him up when he started again.

"I know what you did. I know what this means." Huh? Know what who did?

I shook him and he started again, "I'll find a way to stop you. You won't get away with this."

I shook him again and his eyes fluttered open, "Nico, come on. It's morning."

"Ok I'm coming."

"You ok? You were talking in your sleep."

"Yeah. Fine."

He clearly wasn't fine but he isn't the most talkative person on a good day so I just shrugged and went to wake up the others. Thalia came out of tent just then, with her hair looking like she had a really wild poodle sitting on her head.

"Nice hair. It really brings out your eyes." I said trying, and failing, not to smirk.

"Whatever dolphin boy." she yelled through the now closed flap.

"Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." I told Nico laughing.

"I heard that! You kelp brained dork." Everyone really must have taken the whole bottle of happy pills today.

"Wow doesn't she just radiate happiness?"

"Oh yeah! I think I might just have to smile." Nico said rolling his eyes.

When we finally got everyone awake. It had taken forever to wake up Travis. In the end we had to bang some pot lids from Thalia's pack, which I guess holds everything and the kitchen sink, together. I mean how heavy a sleeper can you be? You'd think getting shocked by Thalia would wake him up but no! He just rolled over and told her to go kiss Kronos. Which really didn't improve her mood.

Anyway we gathered around the ashes of our campfire and went over the plan again. When Malcolm was done boring us to death, we got in our different groups. The Stolls and Clarisse were going on way, while Nico and Malcolm were hitting the cave from the other direction. Which left me with a way too happy Thalia. Oh joy.

She pulled a length of rope from her pack and tied my hands behind my back and we started off for the Lethe with the others following out of sight.

...

After about a ten minute hike we came to the banks of the Lethe. Malcolm's plan for getting us across was for me to control the water but the last time hadn't turned out so well, so this was something I was not looking forward to. The others came out of hiding and looked at me expectantly, "So what now?"

"Untie me and we'll see if this works."

She pulled her spear and started to hack at the ropes but at the rate this going we'd be here all day, her spear was meant for stabbing not cutting. "Thalia just get Riptide out of my pocket and use that."

She looked so startled that she dropped her spear, "No that's fine. I'll get this." She tried to sound calm but there was edge of almost panic to her voice.

"Thalia what's up? What aren't you telling me?"

She hesitated a minute before saying, "Well you know the night before we found out about Annabeth?"

Know? I didn't think I could ever forget.

I nodded and she continued, "Tartarus ordered me to bring him your sword. He'd enchanted it so it wouldn't return to you. But that's probably worn off by now." She added at my horrified look.

"But what would he want with Riptide?" I asked, Thalia just shrugged but Nico answered, "He would want to try and destroy it. Because a piece of your soul is connected to it and since he wanted you to be the host for Kronos, as long as Riptide existed there would be a chance of you beating him."

"But..."

Thalia cut me off, "We have to keep moving."

"Right...well let's see if this works." Nico finally just cut the rope with his sword and I braced myself on one knee and concentrated on the Lethe, waiting for the excruciating pain from the last time I was here. There was a tug at my gut and I held out my hand waiting for the river to respond.

Nothing. I snapped my fingers and concentrated. Still nothing. "What the heck?" I got to my feet and Thalia looked at me worried.

"Well? Can you move it?"

"No I won't respond. I don't get it."

"Did the Keeper ever mention anything about the river or enchanting it?" Nico asked.

"No but that has to be it. He must have known Percy would try to control the water."

"Ok so now how do I get us across?"

"Wait a minute that's it! Nico come on!"she turned back to me, "You can't but together we can. Remember the prophecy from back at the Door of Orpheus? 'Combined they prevail but one power alone is never enough.' That wasn't really about the Doors it was about here. We have to combine our powers again."

"Oh no absolutely not! Nico you can tell Thalia I would rather swim across." He just stared at us like we were completely crazy. Instead of just partially.

"Percy! Come on, we have to." Thalia argued.

"No. The last time we did that you almost electrocuted me."

"So you almost drowned me. Your point?"

"Hey it's not my fault you can't breathe underwater!"

"Once again, Your point?"

"You're impossible!"

"Yeah and you're a kelp headed idiot!"

"Pinecone Face!"

"Bubble Brained..."

"Guys shut up already. You're giving me a headache." Nico cut her off.

"Fine. But come on Percy. You have to, just do it for Annabeth."

Gods I missed her so much. "Fine, I'll do it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Once more we stood in a semi-circle with Nico to my right and Thalia to the left and just as before, we touched the tips of our weapons together and I concentrated on the power of the ocean. Imagining it flowing through me, there was a tug at my gut and once again I could feel the others' powers. Thalia's like a thousand volts flowing of electricity and Nico's like a dark feeling of dread falling over us.

I stepped forward, concentrating on the Lethe, telling the water to form a bridge we could walk under. The pull at my gut increased, getting to be really painful now as the river fought me for control. I could tell the others felt it too as Thalia dropped to her knees, but finally the river responded. Rising up about ten feet, it formed a bridge we could walk under.

"Go guys! We can't hold it for long." I yelled at the others. Clarisse, Malcolm, and the Stolls ran ahead and when they were across I turned to Thalia and Nico.

"We might still be able to make it across." I managed gritting my teeth.

Thalia struggled to her feet and with me and Nico supporting her, we started across. Thalia's powers were almost spent and Nico's and mine weren't much better. We made it about half-way before the water above us started to tremble, fighting us again.

"Keep it up! We're almost there." Nico yelled. We put the rest of our power against it but I could tell it wouldn't be enough.

The water trembled again before it broke through and came crashing down on top of us.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Hi I would just like to say Thanks to Invaderzamgar, fuzzyelffreak, and Around the World and Back for their reviews. I really appreciate all your opinions. I would also like to apologize for the spelling errors in the last chapter. I was in a hurry and didn't remember to proof read it before posting. I took it down and fixed the errors I found and reposted the chapter, so I think I got all of them. Thanks, Riptide2

Chapter 8

I grabbed their hands as the river free fell toward us, willing myself to stay dry and forming an air bubble around us. The next second everything was a pitch black roaring torrent as the Lethe crashed down around us.

We stumbled out of the water and dropped to the sand on the other side. "Are you guys okay?" Connor asked running up. As I pulled some Ambrosia from my pack for Nico and Thalia.

"Yeah we'll be fine." Thalia answered eating a piece of Ambrosia.

"Come on, we have to keep moving." Nico said after we'd rested a few minutes.

Thalia tied my hands up again and we split into our separate groups.

...

( about 45 minutes later )

"Minnow...minnow...minnow...minnow."

"Thalia, if you do that one more time I'm going to drown you."

"Minnow."

"You know I only agreed to let you pretend to have captured me, but I never agreed to let you torture me."

"Minnow."

"Thalia! At least leave me a little bit of sanity here."

"Oh shut up. You're the prisoner, remember? And minnow."

"You're really enjoying this way too much."

"You got that right. Minnow...minnow...minnow..."

I just groaned and tried to ignore her because I had my own plan.

...

( 10 minutes after "minnow" )

"Guacamole...guacamole...guacamole..."

"Percy, shut up!"

"Gua...caa...mole."

"Oh fine. I won't do minnow if you quit it with the guacamole."

"Fine...peanut butter."

"Percy!"

"Peanut butter?"

"No. No peanut butter."

I pretended to pout, time for part two of Operation: Annoy Thalia.

"Hey Thalia, are you really a daughter of Zeus?"

"Yeah of course I am. Is there something the matter with your head?"

"No, you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Percy, what's the matter with you? You know my father's Zeus."

"Yeah I know that, so why did you say he wasn't?"

"I didn't say that! You did."

"No I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"No."

She rolled her eyes, "I give up. You're impossible."

"No, you're the impossible one." I tried to keep a straight face. This was working better then a I thought it would.

"No I'm not!"

I smirked at her, "Oh no you are definitely the impossible one."

"Oh shut up."

"And just why should I?"

"Because if you don't, I'll zap you so hard they'll never find all the pieces."

"Good reason."

...

We'd been walking another fifteen minutes in silence, when we came to the foot of the cliff. Up the side about seventy-five feet was a small opening that looked vaguely like a window.

I gave Thalia a 'what now' look. The face of the cliff was almost completely smooth and about half-way to the window or whatever it was, a stream of lava was working it's way across a narrow ledge.

Thalia held up a medallion from around her neck that I hadn't noticed until now and pressed it into an indent in the rock wall.

There was this grinding sound, like nails on a chalk board, and a huge section of the rock swung aside.

A huge giant stood on the other side and he looked so much like Hades, it was scary. Except, of course, that he was about twenty-five feet tall, with spear big enough to be a telephone pole. He was decked out in pure black armor with a helmet fused from human bones.

From the look on Thalia's face as she quickly knelt this could only be the Keeper. "So this is the sea scum Son of Poseidon who defeated Hyperion." He growled at me and the whole day seemed darker, more hopeless, like fighting was useless, life was meaningless.

"It wasn't hard. The Titans are about as smart as my gym socks." I glared at him defiantly.

"Well it's true I have no love for the Titans, but they do offer a much better deal then the gods ever could."

"Oh and just what have they offered you?" I was playing for time so the others could get in place.

"I will be the Lord of the Underworld once more, and they require such small payment." he grinned down at me evilly.

"Oh yeah? I'm sure they're giving you a great deal." Just a few minutes more, Nico mouthed at me from behind some boulders.

"Oh yes. They only demand your life." He said smiling sickly.

"Reasonable." I said sarcastically. I caught Nico's eye and he nodded, "and good luck with that."

The others gave a battle cry and ran out of their hiding places, but Tartarus' shock only lasted a minute.

"You really think a few pitiful demigods can defeat me? You are powerless!"

"You want to test that theory? Because I have a different opinion." Nico threatened and with the look on his face even I wanted to flinch.

"Grace, take the prisoner to the dungeon, while I deal with these upstarts." Tartarus growled, trying to stare Nico down. I almost felt like wishing him good luck with that.

I fought against Thalia as she dragged me into the cave, but I didn't fight too hard. Just enough to put on a show.

Once we were out of sight, Thalia used Riptide to cut the rope around my hands and we ran into the darkness.

Phase One: Complete.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: I just want to say a quick Thank you to Assassin Lord for your review of the latest chapter. Thanks, Riptide2

Chapter 9

We ran through so many corridors I would have been lost, but Thalia seemed to know where we were going. The halls were eerily quiet, not a soul in sight, and the farther we ran with no opposition the more agitated Thalia got.

"This isn't right. This place is usually crawling with guards." She muttered.

"Hey don't complain, the fewer guards the easier this'll be." but I had to admit it was strange. If the Keeper was so paranoid where were all his evil meanies. It was almost too easy.

Like he wanted us to find the Keys. Like he knew we were coming.

We ducked around another sharp turn and ran straight into a wall. Yeah I said a wall.

"Do you even know where we are?" This place was really starting to remind me of the Labyrinth.

"Sort of." She was pacing, definitely not a good sign.

"Sort of? Just lovely Thalia, now we're lost in this stupid cave while the others and duking it out with old Tartar face. Just what I wanted to do on a Saturday night." Please note the heavy use of sarcasm here.

"We're not lost!"

"Oh really? Then just where are we?"

"Well um...here?"

"Oh brilliant observation, Thals. Just brilliant." I pretended to applaud her. That is until I got electrocuted.

"I know where we are, but this wall isn't supposed to be here." She said still glaring at me.

"Is it like the cliff? A false wall, maybe?" It was covered with symbols and at the bottom there were four groups of lines.

"Okay, so if it is how do we open it? Some kind of combination lock maybe?" She said looking closer.

"Well that's the Greek alphabet on the top, so maybe a phrase of some kind? Four groups of lines so four words?"

"Okay, so then what's the phrase? How 'bout I'm an annoying dork?" She grinned at me pointedly.

"Nah, how about 'My goal is to be impossible'?"

"That's six words."

"Oh right. Yeah I knew that."

"Sure, you did." She rolled her eyes.

Then I had an idea, "Hey wait a minute. What did he say the Titans were going to make him?"

"The Lord of the Underworld, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"So if you were the demented egomaniac what better to use as a code?"

She nodded, "Okay let's try it."

I pressed the Greek letters along the top so in English it spelled: Lord of the Underworld.

I pressed the last letter and with a grinding noise the whole wall swung aside.

"Come on, Percy. It's this way."

We ran down another long hallway and into a circular room with a pedestal in the middle. Under a glass case were two long, black, keys with skulls for handles.

"Come on, Percy. Let's get the Keys and get out of here."

"Wait this is too easy and besides where's the sword?" I glanced around the room, there were no other pedestals or a sword rack, but leaning against the Keys' pedestal was a familiar sword and scabbard. I held it up for Thalia to see.

"Here take it well I get the Keys." I passed the sword to Thalia and she tied it to her belt.

I carefully lifted the glass cover off but as soon as I touched the first Key a blast of what felt like a million volts of electricity hit me.

The pain of the River Styx was nothing compared to this, it was like my soul was being ripped from from body. I tried to fight the darkness that was slowly engulfing me, but the more I fought the faster it closed in. Everything went dark as I crumpled to the ground.

...

( Beginning of Flashback )

_I was running across the deck of a ship with Riptide in my hand, I kept running as a strange sense of dejavu settled over me. The sound of a way too familiar voice made me freeze in my tracts._

"_You're late, Percy."_

_I looked up to the balcony above me, Luke was standing there leaning against the railing, his golden eyes staring me down. "We've been expecting you for days. Come, bow before me." He continued._

_The dream me muttered, "Yeah that'll happen." But I wasn't completely in control of myself as that feeling of dejavu overwhelmed me._

_Luke nodded and dozens of monsters filed in from every direction, in seconds I was completely surrounded._

_According to the prophecy I would have to fight him eventually, and as if reading my mind Luke, I mean Kronos I had to remember he was Kronos now, smiled, "Come forward. If you dare."_

_The crowd of monsters parted and I moved up to the balcony, heart pounding. Kronos' scythe appeared in his hands and before I could second guess my own sanity, I charged. _

_Time slowed down, it was like moving through syrup, I could barely raise my sword. I tried to fight the magic, concentrating on the ocean around me- the source of my power, but now nothing worked._

_I took another step and the monsters jeered. I concentrated harder and there was a wrenching pain in my gut, the entire boat lurched sideways as four thousand gallons of salt water surged out of the swimming pool dousing everyone on deck. The water revitalized me braking the time spell and I lunged forward._

_All of sudden everything seemed to go on fast forward and when it stopped I was standing if front of Kronos, pain blazing up my one side so bad I could hardly remember who I was._

_Kronos turned to me with a crooked smile, "You'll have to excuse my incompetent help, Percy Jackson. But it doesn't matter. We have you now. We've know you were coming for days." He showed me a silver bracelet with a scythe charm- the Titan Lord's symbol._

_The wound on my arm was sapping my ability to think but I muttered, "Communication devise...spy at Camp."_

_Kronos grinned, "You can't count on your friends. They will always let you down. Luke learned that lesson the hard way. Now drop your sword and surrender to me, or your friend dies."_

_But from there the memory went wrong, the colors started to bleed out of the background leaving only black, he turned to me._

"_You may think you have won Percy Jackson, but the war has only just begun. Soon I shall return and then no force in the universe shall be enough to stop me. Remember my words Jackson, this is not over yet."_

_The image shattered and I woke gasping for air._

_..._

"Percy, are you okay?" Thalia asked leaning over me.

Still trying to catch my breath, I nodded.

"Come on, we have to get moving. Can you get up?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, I think." I staggered to my feet.

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you later. We have to get back to the others." I flipped the flap on my pack open.

"Wait! Maybe I should get them." She said eying the Keys uneasily.

I ignored her and grabbed them. There was no jolt of electricity this time, but I could feel some kind of dark, evil energy radiating off them. I dropped them into my pack and together we ran from the room.

We darted down the dark hallways until the sounds of fighting echoed from ahead, Thalia summoned her bow just as we came out in the middle of the fight.

Nico was holding the Keeper's attention, attacking and then darting away as his huge spear slammed into the ground he's been standing on seconds before, but he was doing little more then annoying Ol' Tartar Face and he was slowing down only just avoiding Taratarus' spear point, with a nasty looking cut running down one arm.

Clarisse was attacking from behind with her back to us, while the others stood in a phalanx formation, their weapons bristling over the top of their shield wall.

"Come on, guys. We have what we came for." I yelled and they broke off their attack, running back the way we came.

Thalia and I started after them, but the Keeper bellowed behind us, "After them! Don't let them escape."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Toothbrush Brain, but we're out of here."

I pointed Riptide at the arch of his cave and an earthquake ripped through the ground toppling his cave down around him. Then we turned and ran back the way we came.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Hi I just want to say Thanks to Assassin Lord, jcont, and IvaderZamG.a.r for their reviews. Thanks Riptide2

Chapter 10

We kept running until Nico slowed to a stop twenty minutes later. "We have to take a brake, let's stop here."he panted. We dropped in a grove of trees about half-way back to the Lethe.

"What happened back there, Percy?" Thalia asked a few minutes later.

"I don't know. It was the strangest thing, like a blast of electricity, then this flash back from almost a year ago." I answered Thalia, after I explained to the others what had happened.

"Well what did you see?" Clarisse demanded.

"Just a memory from before the war. It's...it's nothing." I don't know why I didn't tell them. I just couldn't.

"But.." Thalia started.

"I told you it's nothing!" It wasn't fair to snap her head off, but I guess the stress of the last few days was catching up to me. I knew she wouldn't give it up so a stood up and moved away.

But it was more then just stress, something about that flash back had really got to me. Maybe it was how Kronos completely knew that no one would be able to stop him or how sure he'd been that you couldn't trust your friends, but whatever it was there was something about that memory I couldn't shake.

Thalia came over a few minutes later, so much for getting rid of her, and sat down silently beside me on the black volcanic sand.

"It was that bad?" She finally broke the silence.

"I..I saw Kronos, he said...well he said that the war had only just begun and that soon he would return and then no one would be able to stop him." I don't have a clue why I told her, but it just came out in a rush.

_To storm or fire the world must fall. _The voice of the Oracle kept saying in my head.

_Shut up._ I told it.

"Percy, it'll be okay. We'll figure th..." then she gasped, "You...your eyes." she scrambled away from me, alarmed.

"What? What about them?" I asked blinking.

"They...they were gold."

"What! But I don't have gold eyes."

"Well no duh!" She rolled her eyes but I could still hear the edge in her voice.

"Okay now this is really starting to freak me out."

"Do you have any idea what he meant by no one would be able to stop him?" She said sitting down but still eying me nervously.

"I have a theory." but I seriously hoped I was wrong.

"Well what is it? Spit it out already!"

"If he did get a hold of me, the only way to stop him would be my Achilles Spot and the only other person who knows where..." My shoes suddenly seemed very interesting.

"Annabeth." She guessed.

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

"I have an idea about that," she sighed, "I think I know of a way to bring her back."

I looked at her in surprise and desperate hope, "Which is?"

"Remember the Keys, if they can bring Kronos back, what's to stop them from bringing Annabeth back?" She said slowly the same hope in her eyes.

I realized that this was the same for her as it had been for me in the war. That as long as Annabeth was with me and okay, eventually everything would be alright.

"So how do we bring her back?" I probably sounded like an obsessed freak, but I didn't really care.

"I don't know." Thalia looked on the verge of tears and Thalia almost never cried.

"If any of us would know, it'd be Nico. Come on, let's ask him."

Nico looked up startled as we ran up, "With the Keys would we be able to bring Annabeth back?" Thalia demanded.

"Yes, but are you sure that's such a good idea? I mean, what about my father?"

"I don't really care if your father fell into Tartarus, after what he did. If there's a way to bring her back I'll find it. With or without you, now are you in or what?" Okay so I'd probably be the one to push Hades in. But whatever. Details. So annoying.

He sighed, "Alright, I'm in. But we can't do it here, Tartarus might send someone after us."

"Well then, let's move."

We grabbed our packs and Nico took the lead, but instead of going downriver to where we'd crossed before he headed the opposite way going upriver even as the terrain got rougher and rougher. Finally we could just make out the river through the skeletons of birch trees to our left and still we headed upriver.

"Nico, where are we going?" Travis demanded.

"A short cut that no one's supposed to know about."

Thalia tripped and did a face plant, "Real great 'short cut' there Ghost Boy."

"Hey it's not my fault you never out grew the trip-over-my-own-feet phase and never will."

"Death Breath."

"Okay, enough let's just keep moving." I helped Thalia up.

"Whiner." Nico muttered under his breath.

"I heard that!"

"And Annabeth thought I was the immature one." I rolled my eyes and walked away.

We kept walking as their argument continued, "Hey at least I'm not the one that enjoys sticking her finger in electrical sockets."

"Oh yeah? Take that!" There was a flash of light and a thud.

Then a minute later, "Hey, let me go! Skeleton Brain."

I looked back, Thalia was pinned to a tree by a band of shadows around her wrists and ankles with Nico trying to stare her down, but with his hair sticking up in every direction like a mad scientist and a scorch mark on his shirt, it wasn't really working. The others were sitting on a log watching the show.

"Anyone need popcorn?" I asked sitting down.

"Okay. How 'bout some pop and chips, too?" Connor grinned.

"Say Nico-is-so-cool or I'll leave you here for the furies." He threatened, trying not to smirk.

"Nico is an annoying ego maniac."

"I'm not getting involved in this one." I muttered to Travis.

"Come on, guys. We have to keep moving. Tartarus is probably after us by now." Malcolm said getting in between them.

Nico reluctantly let her go and we started off through the underbrush. After another fifteen minute hike we stopped in front of...nothing. Yeah, I said nothing. Everything looked exactly like it had half a mile ago.

"Okay, so where's this shortcut?" Clarisse asked.

"Right here." Nico snapped his fingers and the air over the Lethe shimmered before revealing a narrow wooden bridge.

"And you just remembered this now?" Thalia asked glaring at him.

"Wait you mean we moved the stupid Lethe when we could have just walked across?" I joined Thalia in glaring at him.

"We didn't have enough time to walk all the way up here and besides, I kind of um...forgot?"

"Unbelievable." Thalia muttered shaking her head.

"Oh well. We're here now. Let's just get across." Clarisse said breaking up yet another fight.

We crossed the bridge and Nico snapped his fingers again so the air shimmered before hiding it once more. We walked back down river about half a mile before we stopped to set up camp in a clearing before the forest of birches that separates Asphodel from the Fields of Punishment.

If I saw one more dead birch I was going to scream. I mean honestly can't Hades get any other type of tree? His landscaper must really suck.

When we were done setting up, Nico came over, "If we're going to raise Annabeth we might as well do it now."

"Okay, let's do it."

We gathered everyone and went off into the forest about twenty feet. "Anyone have a shovel? We're going to need a pit and some food and drinks." Nico said.

"I'll take care of the pit, but do we have any food left?" I asked.

"I've got that. I found these in Tartarus' cave while you were past out." Thalia pulled some fruit and a bottle of water from her pack.

"What would Tartarus want with food and water?" Malcolm asked.

"I don't know. When he lost his throne to my father, he was still immortal as long as he wasn't killed in battle but as far as I know he doesn't have to eat." Nico answered.

"I think I know. If he wanted you to be the host for Kronos, Percy. You still would have had to eat." Thalia spoke up.

"Okay so at least we know it's possible to kill him." I tried to look like all this host talk wasn't bothering me but I don't think it worked.

Anyway, I concentrated, clapped my hands and an earthquake split the ground in front of us making a four foot deep pit. We dropped in the fruit and water and Nico started chanting in ancient Greek. A lot of stuff about the dead and memories, instantly the night seemed darker, more depressing.

The air shimmered and the spirits of the dead started to appear from behind the trees, so many the air literally seemed to hum. I drew Riptide and at the sight of celestial bronze they retreated back to the woods with a hiss, but one stood it's ground. Calmly walking or hovering or whatever between us. It knelt to drink and when it stood I almost had a heart attack.

Before me stood the ghostly form of Annabeth Chase.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain." She said smiling sadly.

"Wise Girl." My voice was thick with guilt.

"It wasn't your fault, Percy. There was nothing anyone could do." She tried to touch my face but her hand was made of mist.

"But I should have known..." I trailed off looking at the ground.

"There was nothing you could do. You can't blame yourself."

"Maybe, but I can make it right. There is something I can do."

"Don't do anything stupid, Seaweed Brain."

"Me? Do something stupid? Never!"

"A huh. Sure." She smirked then, "Well? What's this grand plan of yours?"

I told her Nico's plan for bringing her back. For some reason she seemed more then a little relieved to know it was Nico's plan and not mine, wonder why? But anyway she agreed to try it.

Nico pulled his sword, closing his eyes as a bolt of black energy shot from his sword, hitting Annabeth in the chest. She fell to the ground and I ran over to her.

"Percy, don't!" Thalia yelled behind me but I ignored her.

I touched her arm and suddenly I could feel what she felt, my entire life flashing before my eyes. Except it wasn't my life. It was Annabeth's.

When she was younger was just a blurry flash of images until when she met Luke and Thalia, then everything went on fast forward.

The day she was claimed by Athena, then leaning over a semi-conscious me after the minotaur attack, then sailing through the Sea of Monsters on the Queen Anne's Revenge. The manticor attack when we found Nico and his sister Bianca, then images of our quest through the Labyrinth, and finally last summer when she'd saved my life in the war

Thalia pulled me back as a gray light appeared around her. She seemed to grow more solid, more real, until the glow faded and she opened her eyes, gasping.

Nico turned even paler then usual and almost fell over but Travis grabbed his arm.

I pulled away from Thalia and knelt at her side, "Annabeth! Wise Girl, can you hear me?"

She blinked focusing on me, then smiled, "Hey Seaweed Brain. You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Annabeth, I'm so sorry. I should have been there to stop Hades." The words just rushed from me. She had every right to blame me for not stopping him. I was right there.

She laid a finger on my lips, "Percy, there was nothing you could do. You can't blame your self. Now are you going to help me up or what?"

"Oh yeah. Right." I said blushing as I helped her up.

We hugged so hard I thought I was going to suffocate, but it felt so good to have her in my arms.

"I missed you so much, Wise Girl." I whispered in her ear.

"Yeah me too. I love you, Seaweed Brain."

"I love you too."

"Ah rent a room." Clarisse yelled.

Annabeth laughed, the sound like music to me, and with her leaning on me, we made our way back to the camp.

Nico ate some Ambrosia and looked a little better, then after sitting by the campfire a little while we called it a day, and with Annabeth beside me I dozed off.

The dream started immediately and this was definitely one I'd remember for the rest of my life.

...

_I was hiding behind a rocky column and the Keeper was knelling before a disturbingly familiar golden sarcophagus, "I have done as you asked, just remember our agreement. Once you have your host I am to be..."_

_He was cut off a familiar voice roared, "Silence! I shall honor my oath once I have Jackson, just be sure those foolish demigods fall for your trap."_

_Then a cold evil presence turned on me, "And you have fallen into my trap. You think you have won, but this has happened exactly as I planned. Soon I shall return and then the whole world shall bow to my will."_

_I tried not to show how freaked out I was, "I'll find a way to stop you. Whatever you're planning won't work."_

"_Ah but that's where you're wrong, Perseus Jackson. I already have exactly what I need, you have fallen right into my trap," Kronos chuckled, "and you don't even realize that even now you are mine. I have you exactly where I want you."_

"_Can't you just take the hint and stay dead already? I'll never help you and if there's a way to stop you I'll find it." I yelled._

"_And that is the beauty of the whole thing, you don't have a choice in the matter and nothing you can do will stop me." He laughed evilly. "I have exactly what I need...YOU."_

_..._

I woke covered in a cold sweat because I finally realized what that line in the prophecy meant.

_An oath to keep with a final breath._


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Hi sorry for the big gap between updates. My computer's been down and bookworm that I am, I've been reading The Kane Chronicles. Really good book. Anybody who likes Percy Jackson will like it. Moving on, I just want to say Thanks to Tonyaos for reviewing. Thanks, Riptide2

Chapter 11

I woke in a daze, feeling like I was part here and part off somewhere else. It was probably about three in the morning and there was no way I was going back to sleep after that dream, so I sat polishing Riptide's sword form and my shield from Tyson. By the time I was done with that I was a little more "with it".

Looked over at Annabeth who was tossing and turning, muttering something in Greek. I shuddered because in English it was, "No, I would never hurt Percy. No you're wrong!"

"Annabeth come on. Wake up." I shook her and her eyes fluttered open, "You were dreaming."

She sat up and hugged me but when she pulled back I was shocked to see tears in her eyes, "What's the matter? What did you see?"

She whipped the tears from her eyes and stood shakily, "I...well I saw the two of us fighting but your eyes..." She cut off tears in her eyes again.

"They were gold, like Kronos'" I finished suddenly sure of what was going on.

Annabeth stared at me startled, "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess." I wanted to find out the rest before she flipped out about me having the same dream.

"Well anyway, then this voice came out of the darkness, ' Before this is done, one..." she trailed off, sobbing against my shoulder.

"Shall kill the other." I muttered.

"Yes but how did you know and don't say lucky guess?"

"I had the same dream a while ago, except with out the golden eyes part."

"But then how did you know they were gold?" The look in her eyes was confusion and maybe even fear.

I knew she'd put the pieces together eventually, "Well from the beginning Tartarus wanted me to be the host for Kronos, right?" We'd told her everything that had happened last night at the campfire.

She nodded and I continued, "Well I think the Keeper enchanted the Keys so that as soon as I touched them..." I really didn't want to say it. Or admit it.

"Wait. You mean...you're like Luke?"

She pulled away from me and it almost broke my heart that she'd compare me to Luke.

"He tricked us so that as soon as I touched the Keys I became Kronos' host." I said in barely a whisper. Riptide's pen form still in my hand.

"There has to be a way to stop him." She sat beside me again.

"There is." I uncapped Riptide, still not looking up.

"Percy?" She asked anxiously.

"You know where. If he does take over, promise me you'll do it." I grabbed her hand resting it on the small of my back. I tried not to wince at the electricity arching through my body, but I guess failed because Annabeth pulled her hand back.

"Percy, no. I can't." She cried against my shoulder.

I lifted her head to face me, whipping away her tears with my thumb. "Annabeth, you have to. It's fate. You have to promise me?"

"Percy, no! I can't hurt you."

"I know, but it's fate."

_An oath to keep with a final breath._

I put Riptide in her hand, "Promise you'll..."

Here I'm not sure what happened. It happened to fast.

It was like drowning in the Styx with no Achilles Spot. I only had time to yell 'no' before everything went black.

I heard Annabeth scream my name and someone laugh evilly, "Percy is gone. Now drop the sword and surrender or die." But the voice was in the distance.

I didn't realize until much later that was me.

...

( Nico's point of view )

I jumped up with one hand on my sword as I heard a way to familiar laugh.

Annabeth was standing in front of Percy, tears streaming down her face, with his sword in hand.

"What's going on?" I glanced at Percy and wishing I hadn't. I could feel the two spirits battling for control and it was almost painful.

Percy turned to me and his almost solid gold eyes told what happened, "Come. Bow before me, Son of Hades."

His voice wasn't Percy's anymore, it was ancient and evil and unfortunately one I knew all to well.

Kronos.

"Yeah that's really high on my To-do-list."

The others were awake by now and gathered around Annabeth, but Kronos seemed to sense them and his scythe appeared in his hand, "I'll deal with you later. Now I have to eliminate the real threat." He turned on the others.

Oh so now I wasn't a 'real threat'? That big head king of the dodo-brained Titans was going to pay for that one.

...

( Annabeth POV )

I raised Riptide as Per...Kronos turned on me.

He swung down and I met his strike with Riptide, but it barely glanced off and I knew Percy must still be trying to hold him back.

"Percy! I know you can hear me." The logical part of my brain knew what I had to do, but I wouldn't listen. I couldn't.

A shudder passed through his body and his eyes flashed green again, filled with desperation, "Annabeth, please! I can't hold him much longer. You're the only one who can stop him."

But I couldn't. Not as long he was Percy. I could never hurt him.

"No!" He screamed then winced and his eyes turned solid gold.

I was hoping against hope, but somehow I just knew. He was gone.

"Foolish demigod! I am immortal. I have escaped Tartarus. And you think you can stop me? Never!" The voice was Kronos' again.

"I'll stop you if it's the last thing I do." I was trembling with rage. The only person I could count on every time was gone and there was no way this creep was going to get away with it.

He smiled sickly, "Unfortunately that is a wish I can grant."

My ADHD kicked in and I remember thinking "What is he? The tooth fairy now?"

He yelled and a wave of force slammed into me. I sailed through the air and cracked my head against a tree. I barely had time to register the pain before I blacked out.

The next thing I remember is Thalia leaning over me, "Annabeth come on. You're the only one who knows where Percy's Achilles Spot is and Nico can't hold out much longer."

Thalia helped me up and I stole a glance back.

Kronos swung at his head and Nico blocked, then as he went to attack again Nico waved his hand over the ground between them and black flames shot up about six feet.

We ran back to the fight as Kronos roared in frustration and if I wasn't losing it completely, started to glow.

I grabbed Riptide off the ground as Nico's black flames sputtered and went out, "Thalia, distract him."

She nodded and the tip of her spear crackled with electricity before a bolt slashed through the air, hitting Seawe...Kronos square in the chest.

I winced as I inched around behind him. I couldn't believe I was actually going to kill him, but Percy had made me promise. He would want it this way, at least that's what I told my self, and he was right. Kronos had to be stopped.

He advanced on Thalia, who was frozen in time, her spear still out in front and didn't seem to notice me sneaking up behind him or maybe Percy was still holding him back.

I knew I'd hate myself for doing it, but I brought Riptide down across the small of his back.

...

( Percy's POV )

I tried to fight Kronos while screaming curses at him every known language. Hey if I didn't do anything else why not give him a headache?

The darkness overwhelmed me and I could barely see, but that wasn't the scary part, I could literally hear his thoughts. I knew what he was planning. I knew that they couldn't hold out against him. But I also knew he was close to assuming his true form.

I yelled some more curses at him, before my entire world erupted in pain. He was screaming at Annabeth, vowing to kill her. But all I could think was 'finally'.

As much as it hurt I was glad, it meant Annabeth was alright.

A blast like a nuclear explosion rolled out from around me and Kronos' voice faded.

Colors swirled around and my eyes flashed open. I was back in control and the pain faded.

Annabeth was at my side in a second tears in her eyes as she pleaded, "Percy, I'm so sorry."

"Annabeth don't cry. It was fate. An oath to keep with a final breath." I croaked, darkness starting to tinge the edge of my vision. I wasn't in any pain but I could tell this was the end.

"No! Percy don't leave me." She begged, her tears falling onto my cheek.

I squeezed her hand, "Annabeth, tell my mom I'm sorry and that...that I love her."

"No, Percy, you're not dying. You can't." Annabeth sobbed against my chest. Thalia stood behind her, her hand on Annabeth shoulder trying to comfort her.

"Promise me you'll tell her." The darkness was definitely taking over my vision now, I could barely focus on Annabeth above me.

"Al...alright, I promise, Seaweed Brain."

"I love you, Annabeth."

"I love you too, but don't leave me. Please. You can't!" Another tear fell.

"Always remember I love you. Goodbye Wise Girl."


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Hi I'd just like to say a quick Thanks to Ereader64, InvaderZamG.a.r, and DancingQueen411 for their reviews. Thanks, Riptide2

Chapter 12

I didn't try to stop the tears as the light in Percy's eyes faded, a minute later his raspy breathing stopped. Why did everyone I cared about always have to leave me?

I ran away when I was seven, then found a new family with Luke and Thalia but that fell apart when almost immediately when Thalia died. Then Percy came to Camp, but right after Luke betrayed us to form Kronos' army. Sure Thalia came back but then less then a year and a half later left for the Hunters.

After the war I thought I'd found a new family with Percy and Thalia and sure maybe even Nico, but could I really trust anyone now?

"Oh why did you have to leave me, Seaweed Brain?" I sobbed.

I couldn't believe this was real. I think I was waiting for Percy to give me one of his goofy grins and say everything would be alright.

"Annabeth we can't stay here. Tartarus will find us. Percy would want it this way." Thalia said gently.

I didn't realize I was still holding his hand, clinging to it desperately, like that would force him to come back to me, until Thalia wrapped her arms around me. Slowly pulling me away.

I wasn't "me" anymore. A part of me had died with Percy. I was a ghost. A shell of my former self.

He left me. Everyone left me. They always had. There was nothing left for me now. Nothing worth living for. Nothing but to wait for death to come take me too. Darkness to overcome me. Then maybe for a while I wouldn't have to feel. Wouldn't have to mourn the one person I loved more than life itself.

"I can't believe I've lost him too." I sobbed into her shoulder.

"I know, I know."

"Well maybe we haven't lost him yet." Nico mused thoughtfully.

Some small part of my brain that wasn't drowned out in pain or loss heard him, "Why? Do you have a plan?" I asked pulling away from Thalia, some kind of manic hope making me sound more than a little crazy.

"Well, the Keys might be able to bring him back, but we have to hurry."

...

Ten minutes later we were standing around the same pit they'd raised me from only yesterday, it seemed like another world. Like an entire lifetime ago.

"Let's hope my dad's in a good mood." Nico said then started chanting in Greek.

I glanced down at Percy's body at my feet, praying to every god I thought could help.

...

( Percy's Point of View )

I just gave up after saying goodbye to Annabeth. I wasn't exactly looking forward to actually being dead in the Underworld after I'd told Hades off, not that I was looking forward to being dead in the first place.

I felt like I was falling for the longest time, which really gets boring after the first few minute.

The falling feeling stopped and everything shifted to a really, really crowded court room.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting but definitely not a bad reenactment of Judge Judy. I mean seriously?

They had it right down, even to the really ugly white poodle wig and the so-long-they-could-mop-the-floor robes on the judge.

The judge looked up and ... oh great. Just great. I mean could this day get any worse?

The judge just had to be Minos.

I wanted to pull Riptide and cut the aggravating creeps' head clean off.

Good thing for him I was a ghost and Annabeth still had Riptide.

The line shuffled forward and of course i was right at the end, I sighed, this was going to take a while.

...

After what felt like forever, just as my ADHD brain was going to die ( again ) of bordem, Minos looked up with a cold, evil glint in his eye and announced, "Perseus Jackson."

I was about to step forward, when suddenly I wasn't there anymore, I was standing among the trees of a forest. I looked around and recognized the surroundings.

Annabeth was standing in a clearing a few feet away with her back to me well Nico was chanting in Greek, Thalia had her arm around Annabeth well the others were standing there looking uncomfortable.

"Oh, Percy come on. Damn it. Why won't you answer me?" she sobbed.

I was seriously thinking about turning and running the other way. I didn't know if I could face her now, but something told me to at least see what they were doing.

I stepped out from behind the trees as the other spirits of the dead rushed forward. Annabeth turned on them Riptide in hand but they barely moved. I raised my arms and they cowered back with a hiss.

I knelt to drink like I'd seen Bianca and then Annabeth do and when I stood Annabeth gasped. I was about to say something she'd probably call ultra lame like "hi how are ya?" but Riptide in her hand caught my eye. It was glowing. But instead of the usual bronze, it was golden.

She dropped it in surprise, on an impulse I held out my hand and Riptide flew to me still glowing.

How was I holding Riptide if I was made of mist? Too bad I didn't know how strange thing were going to get?

Finally Nico stopped chanting, but still in a daze, pulled his sword and just like with Annabeth a bolt of black fire shot from the tip. But just before in, a pale blue blue light appeared, pulsing a glowing a violent cobalt around me.

Nico came out of his daze a little as the blue light seemed to absorb his black fire. He looked at me annoyed, "Percy, stop blocking me."

"But I didn't... oh whatever." I'd never tried to control the Curse of Achilles before but it had to be better then the death glare I was getting from Nico. So I closed my eyes and trying to will the blue light away from me.

I opened them again a minute later as the light slowly faded away, Nico held up his sword and again black fire shot from the tip but yet again it stopped an inch away from me.

Annabeth's glare had some serious wattage. I backed up a step.

"Percy!"

"Whoa. Down girl! I didn't do it." Wrong thing to say.

"You are so dead."

"Um, hello? I think I got that covered here."

"Perseus Jackson! You little..."

"Hey! Take it easy on the dead dude."

Nico rolled his eyes then snapped his fingers and the black fire shifted into a thick black fog around me. I knew I was probably inhaling the murky fog but as my life started to flash before my eyes, somehow I just didn't care.

There was the time I ran away from boarding school only to find Smelly Gabe home instead of my mom. He'd yelled at me, calling me a delinquent punk and just before I finally lost it the kitchen faucet exploded. It doused Gabe and blasted him right into the next room. Hmm, now I wonder why that happened?

There was the whole Mrs. Dodds incident, then images of our various quests, the war against Kronos, and then a few flashes of our current quest.

I dropped to my knees as a familiar searing pain erupted all through me. There was a tug at my gut and the pain subsided. My vision blurred, black spots dancing before my eyes as the violent cobalt light appeared, it pulsed and glowed and just for a second I thought I could feel the power of the ocean around me.

My eyes cleared a bit and now I was lying on the ground at Annabeth's feet. I took a deep breath and went to sit up but Annabeth slammed into me and judging by how hard she was hugging me, I wasn't made of mist anymore.

When she finally pulled away, I shook my head to clear the spots still dancing before my eyes and grinned, "You can't get rid of me that easily, Wise Girl."

"Percy? It's really you?" she asked warily.

"Of course it's me."

She smiled sadly and touched my hair. Somehow I already knew what was there: a strip of golden blond right next to the white from holding the sky. A souvenir to forever remind me that at least for a little while I'd belonged to Kronos.

There was a flash of light off to my right, I turned and saw an unfortunately familiar face.

A guy who looked a lot like Ares in a toga with armor on top and a bloody arrow sticking out of his heel.

"Achilles." I said surprised.

He stared right at me, completely ignoring the others, "It is complete."

Then he started to recite a prophecy, "A half-blood of the eldest gods shall take upon a curse,

but before long a curse it shall become .

For in the Land of the Dead, he shall join their host.

That through his death all is not lost, a curse meant to save many..."

I joined him on the last part, "shall haunt one to death."

He disappeared just as abruptly as he came and I turned to the others, who ( all except Nico ) were staring at me like they'd just seen a ghost. Which I guess they had.

"Well... on that happy note, let's go find Tartarus. It's about time we got this battle started."


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Hi, I'm sorry for the big gap between updates. My computer broke ( it actually started smoking ) and before that my dad deleted this chapter by accident the first time I typed it out. Anyway, thanks to InzaderZamG.a.r and super reader whoot for reviewing. Thanks, Riptide2

Chapter 13

I tried to start the fire again while the others cleaned their weapons or rested for a minutes, but by the time Annabeth sat down beside me ten minutes later I finally gave up and just let her do it. Hey fire just doesn't like me.

"Percy, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I actually killed you."

"You did what you had to. _An oath to keep with a final breath. _I made you promise to stop him." I said putting my arm around her.

"But... but I killed you." She had tears in her eyes again.

"Annabeth, it's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault." Except that damn Tartarus.

"I... I suppose." She wiped the tears from her eyes and strapped a dagger from Clarisse to her arm. We never had found her old knife.

Her face was streaked with dirt and her hair tangled, but she had this look in her eyes that almost made me feel sorry for Tartarus. Almost.

The others finally came over and Annabeth and Malcolm started to plan our attack, "We have to attack him directly. If we strike now, when he's not expecting it, we should have enough of an edge to beat him." Malcolm suggested.

"But we still have to get the Keys out of here. We can't afford for him to get a hold of them again." Annabeth argued.

"Okay so then we split up, some of us take the Keys to Hades while the rest attack the cave."

"We'll do it." Travis and Connor volunteered.

"We'll give you two a bit of a head start then the rest of us head for the cave." I said rubbing Riptide's pen form in my hand, it was still glowing slightly.

"Let's do it."

Nico gave the Keys to the Stolls and they headed off to Hades palace. We gave them a twenty minute head start to make sure the Keeper wouldn't realize what was wrong and send someone after them until it was too late. Then we headed off into the woods to the bridge over the Styx.

...

We'd been walking for about ten minute, almost to Styx, when I heard a rustling in the bushes to my left.

"Delta formation. Left." I whispered to Annabeth.

I honestly don't know why I was pulling up old battle formations we hadn't used since before the war, but for some reason I was jumpy, edgy. I could shake the feeling that something else was going on here. Something bigger. Badder.

Like the answer to a problem was right there, staring me in the face and I just couldn't see it.

My order got relayed to the others and we formed a semi-circle facing the bushes the noise came from. "Hello? Who's there?" I called raising Riptide.

The bushes rustled again and Travis limped out. "Travis? What happened?" Malcolm ran over as he slumped to the ground.

He looked terrible, a cut across his cheek and a black eye but that wasn't the bad part, his shirt was in tatters and he was holding his right side. Annabeth pulled his hand away and I wanted to faint, he had a knife wound about six inches long running down his right side. It wasn't very deep but it was green and jagged and just gross.

I took the Nectar and Ambrosia out of my backpack along with a conch shell about the size of my fist. I'd brought it on a whim but it looked like I'd need it after all.

Thalia started to feed him the foods of the gods while I stepped aside a few feet, rubbing the shell.

"Percy? What are you doing?" Annabeth asked warily.

"You'll see." I threw the shell down and it shattered, erupting into a small salt water spring. I raised my hand and it blasted up, shooting over my head.

I stepped back to the others and knelt beside Travis. I was willing some of the water to cover his side, when Nico caught on, "Percy be careful. The last time you tried that you almost killed yourself."

I had to resist the urge to say ' Yes mother. Whatever you say mother.' Instead I went for the save route ( to not get killed by Nico ) "If I don't try Travis will be dead and I don't plan on anyone else dying on this quest."

"Percy don't do anything stupid." Annabeth said.

I nodded pulling the water over me. Just like with Thalia I concentrated on channeling the water's power through me and into him. There was a tug at my gut and I could feel my energy draining. The water around the wound was tinged with green and as my vision started to blur and spin I dropped my control and the water sank into the ground, taking the poison with it.

I took a shaky breath and staggered to my feet, "That's it. I've done everything I can."

I put my arm around Annabeth as Thalia took some gauze form her pack and started wrapping his side. A minute later, he sat up gasping and coughing up the water, I held my hand out, willing the water away from him. He coughed again and winced holding his side, I helped him up as Malcolm started flooding him with questions.

"Whoa whoa whoa! I know you all want my autograph but one at a time."

I rolled my eyes. Typical Travis.

"What happened? And where's Connor?" Annabeth asked. Yeah she was um definitely not amused.

He was instantly serious, "We were just heading to the palace when we ran across Tartarus and this huge army. We tried to hide but he found us."

Him finding them? Not a big shocker. Those to were about as stealthy as a pair of three-legged water buffalo. But a huge army? Why did this sound like a re-run of the war?

"So, what happened?" Malcolm asked impatiently.

"I ran and just barely got away, but they caught Connor. I should never have left him." He finished looking at the ground.

"Hey, it'll be okay. We'll find him." I said picking up my pack.

"Let's go kick Tartarus back into his hole." Clarisse yelled.

I just rolled my eyes and she glared at me. 

"Thanks man." Travis said as the others grabbed their stuff.

"No problem."

"Well? Lead the way." Nico gestured to Travis.

He winced but led us away from the Styx in the direction of the Fields of Asphodel.

"Did you find out where Tartarus was going, what he's planning?" Thalia asked as we walked.

"Someone mentioned going to meet Kronos at the Styx. Then marching on Hades and Olympus." He answered evenly. But I saw the way he was still watching me. That nervous glint in his eyes. I sighed, would they ever fully trust me again?

Then I got an idea, "That might just work to our advantage. Tartarus still thinks I'm Kronos." I glanced at Annabeth, but she shook her head.

"No, it's too dangerous. He'll realize some thing's up."

Well, there went that plan. "Anyone got a good plan B?"

"Run? Oh wait, that's what you do when the plan fails, isn't it? Sorry." Thalia suggested.

"Percy there are no good plan-B's, if they were good, they'd be plan-As." Annabeth told me fighting a smirk.

"Whatever."

"Hey Nico, you know anymore shortcuts? We'll never catch them at this rate." Travis asked.

"Sorry, but if we hurry, we should be able to catch them. A few people move faster then an army."

"What I want to know is where he got this army?" Nico continued.

An image flashed through my mind. The nearly empty Fields of Asphodel and Punishment.

"He raised them with the Keys from Asphodel and the Fields of Punishment." I said, sure I was right.

"He couldn't have raised that many people. Even with the Keys, he's not that powerful." Nico protested.

"But he must have. There's no other explanation." Travis glanced at me, again with that nervous doubt, "Is there?"

"No, it has to be Tartarus." Annabeth argued, but she didn't look too sure.

"Yeah... yeah, I guess you're right." I admitted.

"Aren't I always?"

The tension eased off a bit, but still. What if Tartarus wasn't the only enemy? What if he had help? Someone older. Ancient even.

Someone more powerful. Who might actually be able to defeat the gods.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

We hiked for another twenty minutes before the Styx came up on our right, but the problem was what was missing.

Tartarus and his army were nowhere to be seen.

"I don't get it. Where the heck did they go?"

"Oh we're right here. Join me or prepare for death!" Tartarus' voice roared behind me.

The air shimmered and thousands of people and monsters appeared around us.

Riptide was in my hand in a second, but the first wave of soldiers advanced. Their weapons were an odd assortment, from swords to musket to bazookas and the soldiers were from every age and time line imaginable.

They advanced followed by skeletons obviously from the Fields of Punishment. I won't describe them. Trust me, you don't want me to.

Mixed into the crowd were dracnae and giants and ever other type of monster, in the middle stood Tartarus.

"Okay, here's the plan. Travis you stay back you're already injured, Nico see what you can do about those skeleton warriors, the rest of you hold off the army and keep an eye out for Connor, I'll see what I can do about Tartarus. Ready?"

They looked pale and nervous and I could almost see them thinking that this was a suicide mission, that it had been from the start, but they nodded.

"Let's do this!"

I yelled and the Styx exploded, sailing over our heads to crash down on the first wave of Tartarus' troops. All around us skeletons exploded, leaving only armor and weapons as we charged in the battle.

From all sides muskets loaded and fired all aimed at me, completely ignoring the others, nothing touched me.

One soldier stepped out it front of me and fired point blank. His bullets shattered against my skin and with on flash of Riptide he was gone.

The muskets reloaded and fired again as bayonets flashed, I ignored them all.

As I dodged through Tartarus ranks, I caught glimpses of the others fighting.

Thalia was perched in a tree shotting arrows at into the crowd of monsters under her, Annabeth and Malcolm were back to back, Travis was going hand-to-hand with a skeleton despite my order to stay back. Clarisse was fighting two skeletons at once and as much as I hate to admit it she was a demon. She slashed through one before cutting the head off the other. Nico was standing in the shadows, barely visible, stabbing anyone in arms reach. He hit dracnae and it burst in to flames as I hacked my way through the last line of Tartarus' troops.

He grinned down at me, "I see you managed to rid yourself of Kronos, but no matter. Once my ally from above is with me, I will crush the gods and once again we will rule the world unopposed."

"Good luck with that." Remembering my fight with Hyperion, I raised Riptide over my head and willed the moisture in the air to gather together.

The next thing I knew rain was circling around as lightning flashed. The storm intensified as I jumped into the heart of it. The water gathered lifting me up until I was almost eye to eye with Tartarus.

"You will die Son of Poseidon!" He roared.

"Excuse me for not agreeing with that." I willed the storm to circle around his feet and he wavered before falling backwards, crushing a good part of his own army.

I tried to close in on him but he wasn't as hurt as he looked and the storm was drawing a lot of my energy, slowing me down.

He staggered to his feet and our duel continued. My mind went on autopilot as I tried to keep the storm going.

Dodge, stab, deflect, role.

His strikes were powerful and strong but I was faster. He was bigger ( obviously ) and built for defense, heavy armor and weapons, were I was a lighter target but quicker, it was easier to go on the offensive. His strikes were in quick succession, one after another, but he couldn't seem to land a hit. Every time I'd duck away, sinking into my column of water or moving it to the side.

He was starting to slow down, my dozens of stabs and cuts finally starting to take their toll but my storm was pretty much spent. The rain was down to drizzle and the winds had died out completely.

I pulled the remains of the storm together and it was just enough to push Tartarus back a couple of steps before it died out completely. I moved in closer while he was off balance but he pulled a layer of shadow around himself, cutting me off.

I risked a glance back at the others. Thalia was beside Annabeth now, driving monsters back with the aura of her shield, Annabeth was beside her, her bronze knife flashing. Nico was hiding in the shadows still, but the skeletons were wary of him now, staying just out of arms reach forcing him to come after them. Clarisse was still hacking through monsters and skeletons like there was no tomorrow, ( if we couldn't stop them there really might be no tomorrow ) and Travis was holding his own to her left, but as I watched everything went wrong for Malcolm. He was trying to fight two skeleton warriors at once. He cut the head off one and lunged at the other but it stepped inside his strike, bringing a baton down on his sword arm. Malcolm dropped his sword and stumbling back as the skeleton came after him, I thought he was a goner until Thalia's shield blocked the skeleton, zombie whatever it was's next strike in a shower of sparks. I didn't see what happened next because Tartarus' spear slammed into the ground a foot away.

I sighed at him I rose in my pillar of water, "You really don't learn do you?"

"I shall crush you!"

"You guys need to come up with a better line. That one's really getting old."

He swung at me again and I dropped to the ground ducking between his legs, "Running will not save you. I will crush you!"

Somehow I don't think he likes me very much.

"Yeah. Yeah, you said that already and I'm still here."

He bellowed in frustration and stabbed his spear into the ground.

"Temper. Temper." I chided as I stabbed him in the back of the leg.

Riptide was wrenched from my hands as Tartarus turned, he chuckled as I stood before him weaponless, "I have you now."

Oh really? You go right ahead and think that, I thought.

I willed the water column behind him to burst over his head and he came up sputtering, "Enough games, demigod."

I pretended to pout, "Really? But I was just starting to enjoy it."

"Well now you are out of games." He said laughing evilly.

"Oh I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." The water gathered around me as I let loose the extent of my power over earthquakes it tore through the ground, toppling Tartarus and a good part of his army.

"Insolence!" He bellowed stumbling to his feet.

Crazy idea time.

It was a risky plan but I was a little desperate. Riptide was still a good twenty feet behind him and he might not know everything it could do.

I yelled and ducked low as I charged at him. He leaned down as if to catch me like a baseball and I jumped out of the water, using his head like a spring board and rolled.

He straightened indignantly and using his momentum, I jumped off and plummeted at the ground thirty feet below.

I flipped around so I'd land facing him, or rather his back, this guy really wasn't the fastest. I landed on my feet and ground cracked a little from the force of my fall.

I held my hand out behind me and Riptide flew to me glowing bright blue. Tartarus actually looked nervous, but he was right, now I didn't have anymore tricks.

The earthquake had been the last of my "games" and that had taken a lot more energy to pull off then I'd let on. Even with Riptide, I was starting to think we were in some serious trouble.

Then a harsh war horn sounded in the distance.

Was this the ally Tartarus was talking about? If it was then we were seriously sunk.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: Okay first off; I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, but I have a good excuse... Okay so maybe I don't. I kind of fell off the writing/typing wagon, all though I do blame homework for part of that. So without you having to listen to me talk any longer, here's the next chapter. Riptide2

Chapter 15

The air shimmered and an entire cavalry appeared, but Tartarus was as surprised to see them as I was.

There was probably a thousand ground troops and behind them about half as many on horseback. The horses were living nightmares, black as night with manes and tails of fire. Their riders were skeletons from every age and time. Their weapons were an odd assortment; from bazookas to muskets to swords. Right in the front was a chariot of black obsidian, trimmed with gold, it was pulled by two more nightmare horses even bigger then the rest. It would have been beautiful, even with its imposing air, if it hadn't been for the scenes of death painted on the sides.

Holding the reigns was Hades himself, bronze armor over top his black robes. The Helm of Darkness on his head was radiating fear so intense I wanted to curl up in a hole somewhere. The rest of the armies must have felt it too and even Tartarus' command to hold their ground barely kept his ranks from fleeing.

"Charge!" Hades yelled, jumping out of the chariot as the two armies clashed.

Tartarus was stunned and I risked a glance back. The others were lost in the sea of fighting, but ever so slowly Hades' army of the living dead was overwhelming Tartarus' confused troops.

I turned back to the duel in front of me as a now twenty-five foot tall Hades took a swing at Tartarus, coming within inches of chopping his head off.

I was about to run back into the fight with Tartarus, when Nico appeared out of the shadows at my side, "Don't interfere, Percy. This is my father's fight."

I opened my mouth to argue but Nico cut me off, "You can't kill him anyway. Only the powers of darkness can kill him."

"Well then let's go."

We charged back to the two armies and my mind went on autopilot as I tried to keep an eye on the duel behind me.

Tartarus took a swing at Hades and he blocked with a shield seemingly woven straight out of the shadows. He bashed Tartarus with the shield and a bolt of black fire shot out of the tip of his sword. Tartarus blocked with his own black energy, but it faltered as Hades' attack continued.

Hades stabbed downward at him and Tartarus rolled to the right, he kicked Hades off him and jumped up with an over head strike, but Hades caught his spear by the staff knocking it out of his hands.

Hades swung at him and he ducked while kicking Hades feet out from under him. He rolled coming up in a crouch.

Annabeth appeared beside me, her invisibility cap in hand, "Any sign of Connor?"

She shook her head, "None. Do you know where the others are? I lost track of Malcolm."

As if on cue, a blast of lightening shot from the sky, frying twenty or so soldiers but trying to spot the rest of them was literally like finding a needle in a hay stack.

I shook my head and Annabeth slipped her cap back on, but a path of skeletons vaporized to my right so she wasn't completely invisible.

I kept hacking through the monsters and skeletons as the duel continued.

Tartarus had Hades pinned, with his spear shaft at his throat. He stabbed down but Hades grabbed the shaft using it like a lever to flip Tartarus over his head.

Tartarus landed with a thud and Hades was on him in a second, Tartarus gulped and tried pushing Hades off him, but Hades was murderous, "This is something I should have done long ago."

He stabbed Tartarus right through the heart ( if he had one ) and he dissolved into a black mist that sank into the ground.

In his place two long black keys with skulls for handles appeared. The Keys of Death.

Hades picked them up and turned back to the two armies. ( Mostly Tartarus troops, or what was left of them, were standing there looking completely shocked. ) "Heroes, cover your eyes."

He started to glow and I looked away. There was a blast like a nuclear explosion and when the glow faded I looked at what was left of the armies.

Hades soldiers were mostly intact and they reformed their ranks waiting for his next order, but Tartarus' army was a write off. Skeletons were lying every where and as I watched they dissolved into a black mist just like their fallen leader.

Travis walked ( limped ) over just as Annabeth took off her Yankees cap beside me, "We won!"

"We did it! We won." I said hugging her.

But our new victory didn't seem all that great when I saw Travis' face, "Any sign of Connor?" He asked hopefully.

I shook my head silently, remembering the Sea of Monsters and Tyson, Travis slumped walking away.

We'd won, but at what cost?


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: Last chapter! Finally. Sorry it's a little short, but remember there is a sequel. I will be posting that story too, but it's going to take some time. You might want to check out the Aleika Kai series I'm writing too, it will tie into this book and chapter 15 here is a major part of that story's plot. Thanks, Riptide2

Chapter 16

After Hades dismissed his army and they left, we regrouped by the Styx. Travis never said a word and walked away a minute later, Nico came over and stayed for a few minutes before heading over to his father, Clarisse glared at me before heading off after Travis, ( just one big happy family NOT ) and Thalia came running over a minute later. The look on her face told me something was really wrong, she had a cut on her arm and her lieutenant band was half falling off.

"Come quick! It's Malcolm."

He was lying on his side, his right arm bent at a funny angle, he was frighteningly pale, and his breathing was shallow.

Thalia dropped to her knees pulling some Nectar and Ambrosia from her pack.

"Percy is there anything you can do?" Annabeth asked kneeling beside him.

"Sorry, but broken bones just aren't something I can heal."

She nodded tensely but a minute later the Nectar started to work.

He gasped and his eyes fluttered open, "What... what happened?"

Thalia shrugged, "Oh nothing much. Just some skeletons trying to use you as their personal punching bag."

He tried to laugh but groaned and held his arm.

"Come on. Can you get up?" Annabeth held out her hand and he took it, stumbling to his feet.

Nico came over, throwing a glare over his shoulder at Hades, "We have to get back to Camp." He did a double take at Malcolm, "What happened to you?"

"I'm fine. Let's go."

Hades was driving his chariot back to the palace. Well so much for a thanks-for-saving-my-godly-butt. Ungrateful egghead.

Malcolm was still pale but we grabbed our packs and started the climb back to the world above.

When we emerged from the Door of Orpheus it was about five or six in the evening with the sun peaking through a thick cloud cover,

"Come on. We need a taxi."

I looked at Thalia incredulously, "In this traffic?" I gave three loud whistles and a few minutes later about half a dozen large shapes descended from the sky.

_Yo Boss! _Blackjack spoke in my mind _You manage to stay alive okay without me?_

_Yeah Blackie, I'm fine. _I answered him mentally.

_Don't call me that, boss! It makes me sound like a My Little Pony reject._

I was about to answer when some dude that was walking by came jogging over.

He looked about sixty but was dressed like a geek, some plaid sweater vest and these big round glasses that made him look like an owl ( no offense to Athena ). He looked like a prof. that turned middle aged in a trailer park, he was literally a cross between one of those scientist people, whatever their really called, and a hippie that would sit around a campfire singing Cum- By-Yaw and tell everyone " peace man" and "we're all one with the universe, man".

Guido gave him an incredulous look, _Yo dude! The 1970s are calling you. They want their haircut back._

He didn't even look twice at them though as he turned to yell at us, "How dare you kids torment these poor pigeons!"

He gestured at Blackjack and I burst out laughing as he neighed indignantly, _Pigeon! Do I look like a pigeon? _

I couldn't resist teasing him _Well... now that you mention it. Maybe just a little._

_Boss!_

_Just kidding. Just kidding._

Annabeth was trying to reason with Mr. Hippie-mac-hipster. Well, this should be interesting.

The hippie dude got in her face, screaming his head off, "I should call an animal rights group on you kids. Teenagers! No respect for your fellow creatures. What a generation! I'll tell you back in the day..."

"Well go on back to your day!" She yelled jumping on Candy. Somehow I think he was one creature she'd rather live without.

I mounted Blackjack and the others picked a Pegasus and did the same, though Guido complained in my head that Nico "smelled like dead people".

The hippie yelled about animal rights and teenagers "with no respect for the universe and bad vibes from our karma" well we took off.

Annabeth was practically spitting bullets as we flew through the air to Camp.

When we arrived everyone was gathered in front of the Big House, instead of at dinner and green mist was swirling around Rachel.

I jumped off before Blackjack had even stopped, the others at my heels, "What's going on?"

Rachel turned and her eyes glowed a freakish green, when she spoke her voice was tripled like three people were talking at once, "The prophecy is not complete."

Then she started to repeat a new prophecy that would haunt me for a long time to come:

_Four must take a quest_

_to the lands of the west._

_The foe of Olympus must show the path,_

_but to the war of storm the world shall fall,_

_and thus the fifth age is brought to death._

**The End**


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